F1’s team principals are hopeful the sport’s radical new regulations for 2026 may provide new opportunities for overtaking.
Formula 1 is set for sweeping regulation changes next season with revised power units and new, adjustable, aerodynamics which will provide drivers with two primary ‘modes’ of configuration that they change between out on track.
Drivers, such as Max Verstappen, have previously expressed concerns about how the new regulations will affect racing and overtaking in the world championship after trying early simulations of the regulations in their teams’ simulators. However, Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell expects that fans will enjoy a different kind of racing to what they currently witness with the current 2025 cars.
“I think it’ll be interesting to see what the overtaking is like next year with the new regulations,” he said. “We may well see more overtaking.”
Williams team principal James Vowles agrees with Cowell that racing will likely take on a different flavour with the new regulations.
“Overtaking will be different, but it will happen,” Vowles said. “It’ll just be in a different way to what you’re used to now.
“I said this in a different forum, but the drivers had a go once and thought, “this isn’t great.” Then the second time, they went, “that’s interesting.” Then by the third or fourth time — as they’re race drivers — they were actually really into it. And there’s a very different way of optimising it as a solution, and they can see how the advantage can come in. So from that perspective, I think it will be interesting.
“I do think it will increase overtaking – just not in the areas you think it will. That’s probably the right way of putting it. The challenge is, frankly, that everything changes. So there’s a lot of learning that we’re going through almost week-by-week, especially on the energy side – how we use it in the most efficient way possible.”
Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen believes that 2026’s F1 cars will be “no faster down the straights” than 2025, but “slower around the corners.”
“Lap times will be less than they are at the moment, but I don’t think that will detract from the racing,” he said. “What overtaking will be like remains to be seen.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Vowles believes that drivers will be under more pressure in the cockpit to maximise the performance of their cars next season compared to what they are now.
“I think the way the [2026] rules are at the moment, they will be busier in the cockpit,” he explained. “I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
“I think you’ll get those that come out on top as a result of it. Those that are completely in control of the car and its behaviours and then thinking outside the box. Probably the right way of putting it is, you can almost fill the entire battery in one braking zone, but you can deplete it in one straight. That’s for sure. And so that creates a very different dynamic to what we have this year.”
Asked whether the new regulations could allow for new overtaking opportunities to emerge at areas of circuits where it is currently considered to be difficult – such as into Monaco’s harbour chicane exiting the tunnel – Vowles believes the new rules promote more chances for drivers to be creative when racing.
“You’ll probably protect the regions with energy deployment where overtaking is most likely to happen,” he said.
So taking, for example, the Monaco tunnel, I think it’s unlikely you’ll get a differential through there. But I think you’ll move away from, say, Spa-Francorchamps. Your typical overtaking point is, for example, up into turn five (Les Combes). That’s one of the main areas. Actually, it opens up the door for a few other areas around that lap. That’s probably the right way of putting it to you.”
Cowell also agrees that there is the potential for new racing opportunities to be provoked by the new regulations.
“I think there’ll be some surprises,” he said.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Formula 1
- Why McLaren’s racing rules won’t change despite sealing constructors’ title
- Red Bull “not catching up enough” to challenge for drivers’ title – Verstappen
- F1 insists it provides “best possible footage” of races, following Sainz criticism
- Russell denies Verstappen a ‘full set’ of wins, Hamilton breaks Schumacher record
- ‘Good shout on staying out’: Did Verstappen consider a second pit stop in Singapore?