F1's 2026 regulations explained: new power units, active aero and sustainable fuel

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The 2026 season brought the biggest rule change Formula 1 has seen in years. The chassis and the power unit were rewritten at the same time, so almost everything about how the cars are driven, raced and overtaken shifted. If the terms on the broadcast this year have sounded unfamiliar, this guide walks through what actually changed and why.

The power unit: half electric

The engine is still a 1.6-litre turbocharged V6, but the hybrid system around it is very different.

The MGU-H is gone. This was the complex unit that recovered energy from the turbocharger. Removing it cut cost and complexity and made the formula more attractive to new manufacturers.
The MGU-K is far stronger. The motor-generator on the rear axle now delivers up to 350kW, nearly three times the previous 120kW. Output from the combustion engine was reduced at the same time.
The split is now close to 50:50. Under the old rules roughly a fifth of the power came from the electrical side. In 2026 it is around half.
Much more energy can be harvested per lap than before, mainly under braking.

The practical result is that energy management matters more than ever. Drivers and engineers have to decide where on the lap to spend battery energy and where to recharge it, and a car that runs low on charge can lose speed noticeably at the end of a straight.

Sustainable fuel

The combustion engine now runs on 100% sustainable fuel, made from sources that do not add new fossil carbon, such as captured carbon or non-food biomass. It is part of F1's stated aim of reaching net zero by 2030, and the manufacturers involved see it as relevant to road cars that will still burn fuel for decades.

Smaller, lighter cars

The wheelbase is 200mm shorter, at 3,400mm.
The car is 100mm narrower, at 1,900mm.
The minimum weight dropped by around 30kg.
Ground effect was reduced. The floors generate less of the car's downforce from the tunnels underneath than they did from 2022 to 2025.

Active aerodynamics

For the first time in the modern era, both the front and rear wings move.

Corner mode is the default, high-downforce setting for grip through bends.
Straight mode opens flaps on both wings in designated zones to cut drag. Every driver can use it in those zones, whether or not anyone is ahead. Its job is efficiency, so the new power units are not starved of energy on long straights.

DRS is replaced by Overtake Mode and Boost

DRS has been retired. The old drag reduction flap, available only within one second of the car ahead, no longer exists.
Overtake Mode is the new passing aid. A driver within one second of the car in front at a detection point gets extra electrical energy to use on the following lap. Unlike DRS, it is not tied to one zone and can be spent all at once or spread around the lap.
Boost is a button that gives the maximum combined power of engine and battery at any point on track, for attack or defence, as long as there is energy to spend.

Early refinements

The first races showed that some energy behaviour, such as cars harvesting so hard that they slowed noticeably on straights, needed attention. In spring 2026 the FIA, the teams and the power unit makers agreed adjustments to how much energy may be recharged and deployed, applied from the Miami Grand Prix. Expect fine-tuning like this to continue, and check the FIA's published regulations for the current numbers.

What to watch for as a viewer

Battery state. Graphics showing deployment and charge explain why a car is suddenly faster or slower.
Where passes happen. With Overtake Mode spread around a lap, moves can come in places DRS never helped.
Defensive Boost use. A driver ahead can spend energy to hold position, which turns some fights into a game of who saved more.

What has surprised you most about the 2026 cars? Share your questions and observations in the comments.