Overtake Mode & Active Aero - Understanding F1's New Technical Jargon
The 2026 Formula 1 cars are set to be smaller, nimbler and more environmentally friendly than this year.
Formula 1 has unveiled the official language that will be used to describe the intricate details of its upcoming 2026 rulebook.
The sport is embarking on what is arguably the largest rules overhaul in its long history for the 2026 campaign, featuring revised car and engine specifications and the mandatory use of eco-friendly fuels.
The new power units, which keep the 1.6-litre V6 configuration, boast a significantly increased battery power, requiring major innovations in the aero packages.
Over a race distance, drivers will carefully oversee ERS energy – sometimes even qualifying laps – to extract the best lap time.
Wide-ranging research were undertaken with a mix of viewers, including dedicated enthusiasts and casual observers, to identify which phrases would improve understanding of the key features of the upcoming rules.
The stated goal was to render a series of complex new areas of the competition as easy to grasp as possible for the broadest viewership.
Consequently, older technical labels for certain devices – such as "modes labelled X and Z" for the active aerodynamics – have been abandoned in favor of straightforward terms that succinctly convey the actual function of the system.
Exploring the New Tech
Regulators explain that competitors will have increased agency to determine tactics regarding battery management, harvesting, and conservation.
The 2026 rules mandate a series of modes that will be shown on broadcast screens to improve the audience's understanding of the strategic duel.
- Passing Mode: This supersedes the existing Drag Reduction System. It provides a short boost of battery power deployable when a competitor is less than a second the car ahead to assist with an overtake.
- Extra Push Mode: This is a on-demand energy deployment from the hybrid system that can be used in overtaking or defending. It delivers the driver full engine and battery energy at the click of a switch.
Both of these crucial modes will have to be managed carefully, as the overall battery capacity is strictly limited.
- Active Aerodynamics: Both the car's wings move automatically – spreading on the long straight sections for minimal air resistance and top speed, and closing in the corners for optimal cornering performance.
- Battery Recharge: The system can harvest energy with regenerative braking, or during throttle lift at the end of straights or in sections where only limited engine output is used.
2026 Car Specifications
The vehicles for the new era will be smaller and lighter relative to current models, with a distance between axles shortened by 200mm to 3,400mm, car width cut by 100mm – down to 1,900mm – and the lowest permissible weight reduced by 30kg.
Total aerodynamic grip is expected to drop by approximately 15-30%, although teams will undoubtedly recover some as they refine their designs.
Drag has been reduced by 40%. The cars will utilize moveable wing elements – front and rear wings will adjust on the straight sections to improve speed and increase straightline speed and revert into place for peak handling.
Pirelli tyres will keep 18-inch wheel rims, but the actual tyres will be slimmer, by a quarter-centimetre on the front and 30mm at the rear.
What's Changing in the Engines?
The new power units will have an near-equal balance in power produced by the internal combustion engine and the ERS, up from about one-fifth electric power in the current formula.
The ERS setup is made less complex through the deletion of the MGU-H, the complicated and costly device that generated electricity from the exhaust turbo.
Cars will be required to run on fully sustainable fuel, produced using organic sources or synthetic production methods.
