FIA revealed its initial goals for the 2026 season to design the next set of revolutionary F1 cars .
Reduced Drag
The main focus will be on creating an active aerodynamics to reduce drag .This could create two car modes .
— High-down force mode with high drag for cornering .
— Low-down force mode with low drag force for the straights .
Reduced car dimensions and car mass
The 2022 F1 cars weigh a whooping 908 Kg including driver , tires and fuel .
FIA plans to make the F1 cars shorter , smaller and potentially lighter .
Engines
With Audi and Porsche showing interest to enter F1 , FIA wants to make the sport as attractive as possible for new power unit manufacturers to join and be competitive .
— The 1.6-litre V6 engines will be retained .
— The MGU-H , which convert wasted heat into electrical energy will be removed .
— The hybrid power from the MGU-K will be increased , pumping the total electric power to 350 KW .
Focus on recycle and standardization of parts
In 2022 ,F1 introduced E10 fuel , made from 90% fossil fuels and 10% renewable ethanol from plant waste and it has announced that F1 will be switching to 100% sustainable synthetic fuel by 2026.
They also plan to introduce standard parts across all teams , which will largely bring down the cost of production .
By switching to active aerodynamics to reduce drag and more electric power from MGU-K , the F1 car can save an estimated 20-25% of fuel saved , which will bring down the size of the fuel tank .
Improving driver safety
FIA is exploring options to absorb crash energy in cars . All options are being looked at , to leave enough room for the crash energy to deform without hurting the driver inside the cockpit .
These are just initial goals set by FIA , they will be bringing in more ideas to make the racing more competitive and entertaining .
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