Former F1 team boss warns of “outliers” at start of 2026 car era.
“In the beginning, there will be some outliers — some very fast cars, and maybe somebody will get it completely wrong and be slow for a year or two.” Guenther Steiner.
25 Dec 2025
Lewis Duncan
Crash.Net

Former Haas Formula 1 team boss Guenther Steiner believes there will be “outliers” at the beginning of the new car era in 2026, which someone “will get completely wrong”. “The aerodynamic rules, the chassis rules are changing, the cars get smaller and get completely different new power units,” he told Lottoland. “There is changeable aerodynamics — on the straight, you can take downforce away, so you reduce drag and go faster.”

“I have no idea who will be good, who will be bad. It’s a completely new game — nobody knows, not even the teams, because the teams only know their own car. Some people will get it right, and some people will not get it so right. The people not getting it right will need to catch up. Formula 1 always needs a change in regulations, because otherwise all the cars end up the same and you stop developing technology.”

“With the next generation of cars, sustainable fuels are being developed for the combustion engine. That could be huge for normal people on the road. Combustion engines will change, but with better, sustainable fuels, they can still have a future. Change is good. People reinvent themselves, put a lot of effort in it, and it keeps it interesting.”

“Outliers”;

https://www.crash.net/f1/news/108822...t-2026-car-era


F1’s 2026 Reset: Ocon Predicts Rally-Car Mayhem
January 1, 2026
Alex Albuquerque
FastestLap.com

Esteban Ocon isn’t dressing up what’s coming. With Formula 1’s next rulebook set to rip up the playbook in 2026, the Haas driver says the new cars will feel so different it’ll be like “jumping from an F1 car to a rally car.” That’s more than a line for effect. The 2026 chassis and power unit overhaul will dial back ground-effect dependence, layer in moveable aerodynamics, and lean harder on electrical energy deployment. Expect higher straight-line speeds and a hit to mid-corner performance, with energy management pushed right to the heart of racecraft. It’s a new game, not just a new level.

“It’s like if you jump from an F1 car to a rally car next year, pretty much, it’s that different,” Ocon told media, underlining just how far the pendulum is swinging. The move away from floor-driven downforce should soften the brutal ride that’s defined this ground-effect era, but it’s also likely to reshape how drivers approach every phase of a lap. The honest answer, though, is that nobody truly knows yet what the racing will look like. Teams are deep in their simulations, each working in isolation.

Those single-team models can’t replicate how a whole grid of rival concepts interacts once the lights go out. That uncertainty is a breeding ground for bold design bets—and early gaps. History says a fresh ruleset can scatter the pack. While the last cycle eventually compressed the midfield, 2026 opens the door for someone to nail a concept first and bank points while everyone else reverse-engineers the idea. Equally, the field has never been quicker at spotting and copying what works. Expect winners and losers early; expect convergence later.

‘Rally-Car Mayhem’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/f1s-2026...ly-car-mayhem/


Major F1 2026 design change prompts rally car comparison
1 Jan 2026
Mat Coch
PlanetF1.com

Esteban Ocon likened the difference between the ground effect generation of cars and those set to be introduced for F1 2026 to like jumping into a rally car. That will be complemented by a different style of racing, with energy management predicted to play a far more significant role.

Such a significant change in the shape of the on-track action has generated strong opinions from the drivers. “It’s like if you jump from an F1 car to a rally car next year, pretty much, it’s that different,” he told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media.

However, it’s also likely any such discoveries will quickly be made by their rivals, while the pack will take time understanding the nuances of their new machines. “There are going to be much bigger issues than that, I think, to tackle initially,” said Ocon, referencing a braking issue he struggled with in the latter stages of F1 2025.

‘F1 2026… …jumping into a rally car’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/major-...car-comparison


Mercedes are ‘bothered’ by one emerging doubt about George Russell’s 2026 F1 car in the simulator
2 January 2026
Kyle Archer
F1 Oversteer

According to FunoAnalisiTecnica, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is striving to lower the expectations about their car for the new rules. Despite the widely held belief that Mercedes will create the best engine for the 2026 F1 regulations, questions remain about their chassis. In particular, Mercedes’ simulator tests with their 2026 F1 regulations car have revealed one question about the handling of their new challenger that is now ‘bothering’ the team.

Their simulator cannot sufficiently replicate the physical sensations when their car begins to slide. Mercedes hope George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli can start to give them ‘important’ answers about the handling of their 2026 car when pre-season testing begins behind closed doors in Barcelona on January 26-30, before testing in Bahrain on February 11-13 and 18-20.

Mercedes’ questions about their 2026 F1 rules car could encourage McLaren. Mercedes are in the final stages of designing their car for the 2026 F1 regulations, which the Brackley crew will only truly know whether it is a title-challenging package when the season starts in Australia on March 6-8. Qualifying in Melbourne will see the first real pecking order.

‘Simulator cannot sufficiently replicate the physical sensations when their car begins to slide’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mer...the-simulator/


Ferrari set for radical multi-version 2026 F1 car approach
RacingNews365's technical analyst Paolo Filisetti takes a look at the two versions of car Ferrari will introduce at the start of the 2026 F1 regulations.
29 December 2025
Paolo Filisetti
RacingNews365

Ferrari has confirmed that its 2026 Formula 1 car will be unveiled on 23 January, as the Scuderia aims to leave behind the limitations that plagued the SF-25 last season. Across the paddock, teams have committed substantial resources to interpreting the revised regulations, with each constructor seeking to exploit every available performance opportunity from the outset.

However, this aggressive development approach carries inherent risks given the fundamental nature of the changes. The regulatory overhaul effectively requires teams to start with a near-blank canvas, with limited carry-over knowledge from the current generation of machinery.

This challenge is compounded by reduced development time, particularly affecting the implementation of unconventional solutions across multiple car systems, from internal fluid dynamics to comprehensive aerodynamic packages. Fred Vasseur has confirmed that Ferrari's launch-spec car will differ substantially from the machine that takes to the grid in Melbourne.

‘Radical multi-version 2026 F1 car’;

https://racingnews365.com/ferrari-se...1-car-approach


Toto Wolff makes a ‘fascinating’ prediction after seeing Mercedes’ 2026 F1 rules car in the simulator
21 December 2025
Ashley Hambly
F1 Oversteer

During the Mercedes team principal’s end-of-year review on the team’s official YouTube channel, Wolff was asked for his expectations on the new season of racing… He said, “We had a very successful spell over those years. We won eight championships, but we had difficult years that followed. One era ends, an era that we will be looking back on with a lot of positive memories. But now we are starting in the real hybrid era. We are driving 50% electric engines with sustainable fuel. And that almost gives it one notch of innovation more.”

“And I just came out of the simulator watching the car drive. It’s going to be fascinating.” Then asked to elaborate, Wolff added, “It adds a completely new dimension, of which you don’t lose that real racing. But energy deployment will be playing a massive part, and the intelligence of a driver, the driver who puts a lot of work into the preparation for the weekend. Just talk to them, they like it.” In response to a statement that says Mercedes will be strong, he replied, “Well, I would very much hope so, but I’m a notorious pessimist. The glass is always half empty, rather than half full.”

“And we’ve set ourselves targets on the power unit and the same on the chassis. Whether those targets were ambitious enough, whether we have missed the trick, whether our execution is going to be as faultless as it should be. I don’t know. We’re going to see some glimpses of performance balance in testing late in January and then in Bahrain, obviously. But I think the name of the game is going to be the constant development of the tools throughout the season.”

“Energy deployment will be playing a massive part, and the intelligence of a driver”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/tot...the-simulator/