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Formula 1 has revealed the official language that will be used to reference the intricate details of its new 2026 rulebook.

The sport is embarking on what is potentially the largest regulation change in its illustrious history next season, featuring revised car and engine specifications and the required adoption of 100% sustainable fuels.

The revised engines, which retain the 1.6-litre V6 configuration, boast a greatly enhanced battery power, requiring key advancements in the cars' aerodynamics.

During grand prix events, competitors will carefully oversee battery power – sometimes even hot laps – to extract the optimal result.

Wide-ranging research were undertaken with a mix of viewers, including long-time followers and newcomers, to determine which phrases would improve understanding of the key features of the upcoming rules.

The stated goal was to present a set of intricate features of the competition as accessible as possible for the broadest viewership.

Consequently, previous placeholder terms for specific components – such as "x-mode and z-mode" for the moveable wings – have been discarded in preference for descriptive names that directly explain the primary purpose of the system.

Exploring the New Tech

Regulators explain that competitors will have more power to choose strategies regarding battery management, harvesting, and conservation.

The upcoming changes feature a range of settings that will be visually displayed on TV overlays to improve the viewers' comprehension of the on-track action.

• Overtake Mode: This takes over from the current DRS. It provides a surge of additional ERS power deployable when a driver is close behind the leading car to facilitate an overtaking maneuver.
• Power Mode: This is a manual energy deployment from the hybrid system that can be utilized during offensive or defensive moves. It grants the pilot peak output at the push of a button.

Both of these crucial modes will have to be managed carefully, as the total energy is strictly limited.

• Active Aero: Both the front and rear wings adjust their angles – flattening on the long straight sections for low aerodynamic resistance and higher speed, and sealing in the corners for optimal cornering performance.
• Energy Harvesting: Cars can replenish their battery with power recovered from braking, or during coasting at the straight's end or in corners where only limited engine output is required.

What's Changing on the Cars?

The next-generation machines will be more compact and lighter compared to the 2025 spec, with a wheelbase shortened by 200mm to 3,400mm, width reduced by 100mm – down to 1,900mm – and the minimum weight decreased by 30kg.

Total aerodynamic grip is projected to decrease by approximately fifteen to thirty percent, although constructors will naturally regain performance as they develop their cars.

Air resistance has been slashed by 40%. The vehicles will feature active aerodynamics – front and rear wings will adjust on the straight sections to improve speed and boost top speed and revert into place for peak handling.

Pirelli tyres will retain the current rim size, but the rubber compounds will be slimmer, by a quarter-centimetre on the front and 30 millimetres on the rear axle.

What's Changing in the Engines?

The new power units will have an near-equal balance in energy output by the petrol engine and the ERS, up from about one-fifth electric power under present rules.

The hybrid system is streamlined through the elimination of the Motor Generator Unit – Heat, the sophisticated and pricey device that generated electricity from the turbo.

Every car on the grid will be obliged to compete on carbon-neutral fuel, produced using plant-based materials or synthetic production methods.