Is the 2026 Regulation going to achieve it goal?

In a few days, 2026 cars are going to start official shakedown runs and public reveal. Some of us have pored through the regulations governing the design of the car over Christmas. And there may be some concerns, as well as also seen potentially exciting things. The most exciting things I noticed are summarised here:-

1. The transition from outwash designs of the previous cars to an inwash philosophy means less instability for chasing cars behind

2. The underfloor design and the air channels at the rear of the floor mean the air flow out of the rear of the car is lifted higher than in previous regulation cars via a much narrower flow band. Which means that the following cars can be closer and tucked under the wake of the car in front without disruption to the flow dynamics of their front wing. Hurray! Closer racing seems very possible for a change.

3. The car is more driver-oriented than car-oriented. What I mean here is that the driver makes more of a difference to success than car speed and aerodynamics for a change.

4. This is because the most successful drivers are going to be the smartest and most talented drivers who can most intelligently deploy the battery usage to achieve the fastest lap relative to the competition. This could mean that midfield teams may shine more often this season by winning the odd races.

5. Aerodynamic stability seems to be a big target in this regulation. Balancing the downforce from the rearwings to the front wings is one of the new concepts on the car. This is achieved by both the movable front and rear wings. Downforce is removed from the front wing by deflecting the front movable elements if the downforce at the rear has dropped. Front overloading while cornering which were a typical problem with the 2025 cars for instance is greatly reduced by this gizmo. But this potentially have the side effect of lesser grip due to reduced downforce. We may see cars sliding at or through the corners this season. I think the drivers would need to learn afresh how to get fast round corners with less downforce without sliding. Sliding eats up lap times

6. Boost button, the new DRS of sorts. Cars attacking would now have the advantage of being able to use the power boost to overtake the car in front. Boost, of course, means deploying both the ICE and Electric power combined to achieve maximum horsepower. Unlike the old DRS boost, there is a price to pay for using the boost button. One could run out of battery charge and become vulnerable to the cars behind.

7. The speed on the straights may be faster than we have seen in recent times.

While there are lots of other interesting things to talk about, this new regulation is, by far, the most promising regulation for some time. It addresses the carbon footprint of F1 and the environmental negatives typically associated with motor racing, with the new bio-fuels powering the cars this season. My main concerns are the following:-

1. It is still a fat boy; the 2026 cars, at some 770kg, are still very heavy.
2. While it is narrower, it is still too long relative to the pre-hybrid regulation cars.
3. The consequential narrower tyres mean less of the engine power can be deployed to traction. Traction control would work harder this season to avoid wheelspin from a standstill.
4. Any damage to the aero-fixtures would have a dramatic (probably steeper) drop in performance

I am sure you have noticed a few things as well. Please share your thoughts.