New look, new sound
Formula 1 has gone through a dramatic transformation ahead of the 2026 season. Gone are the ground-effect cars and the old turbo-hybrid motors, replaced by revolutionary new chassis and power unit rules that aim to mix up the racing.
Let’s start on the outside with the new chassis and aerodynamic rules, which have changed the way the new generation of cars look and race. The 2026 chassis are smaller and lighter than the cars they replace – with the wheelbase dropping by 200mm, the width decreasing by 100mm and the minimum weight dropping by 30kg. According to drivers Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman and Oscar Piastri, the new machinery is “more nimble” – so aim one complete.
DRS is also gone for 2026, but a moveable wing at the rear of the cars remains and is now joined by a mobile unit at the front as well. These two components can sit in two states – one for use on straights and the other for use in the corners. The aim was to greatly reduce drag on the straights as there were fears about the top speed that could be reached with the new power units.
Which brings us on to the changes made in the engine bay, as all-new hybrid power units will roll out this year featuring a near-50:50 split in internal combustion and electrical power.
The new engines still rely on a 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 internal combustion engine, but the compression ratio has dropped for 2026, and an advanced hybrid element removes the MGU-H found in the old power units and increases the reliance on the MGU-K. Now, around 50% of the car’s power will come from the regeneration unit, which will be able to generate electrical power while the car is braking, coasting and on the throttle. As a result, the electrical energy has jumped from 120kW to 350kW this year.
Cadillac and Audi join the fold
These all-new cars will be raced by two new brands, as automakers Audi and Cadillac will join the F1 grid for the first time in 2026.
Audi has taken over the historic Sauber team and it will now run as a full works outfit for the German brand. The manufacturer has invested heavily in the ageing team, both at its Hinwil base and at a new engine plant in Neuburg in Germany. That’s right, Audi will also join F1 as a power unit manufacturer – one of five on the line-up this year.
The team admits that joining the grid as a new power unit manufacturer is a big ask, but is doing so with a lot of F1 experience behind it. Ex-Ferrari boss Mattea Binotto leads the project and former Red Bull ace Jonathan Wheatley is team principal. They are joined by veteran racer Niko Hulkenberg, who partners rising star Gabriel Bortoleto – now in his second season in F1.
Cadillac, meanwhile, is an all-new entry on the grid and brings the total number of teams in F1 up to 11 for the first time since 2016.
The American team will start its F1 journey as a Ferrari customer, using the Italian brand's engines before its own power unit project comes online from 2029. For its debut season, the team will run a striking two-sided livery in 2026, with the experienced hands of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez at the wheel.
Both new outfits face a monumental mountain to climb in becoming competitive in the F1 grid, but a regulations refresh opens up the pecking order to any team with a bright idea and a dream.
Red Bull: The works
Audi isn’t the only new power unit manufacturer in F1 this year, as all eyes are now on Red Bull Racing and the engine that it has developed in partnership with Ford. In 2026, Red Bull-Ford Powertrains will build engines for Red Bull and Racing Bulls.
Unlike Audi, which has almost no expectations on its first F1 engines, Red Bull has the pressure of six constructors’ crowns and eight drivers’ titles hanging over it – meaning all eyes will be on the Austrian energy maker and its latest endeavour.
The signs are positive so far, however, as it managed some strong mileage across its two teams in pre-season testing, and the performance ramped up in Bahrain where some Mercedes-powered teams concluded that Red Bull was the team to beat. However, times in testing are not representative of times in a grand prix, and Red Bull will have a lot to prove – both to its naysayers and to star driver Max Verstappen who is always rumoured to be nearing the exit when the results stop coming his way.
After the Bahrain test, opinions appear mixed on how Red Bull has fared with its first in-house power unit. Mercedes and customers teams including Williams have gone to great length to highlight the strengths of the DM01, Red Bull’s first engine, even going so far as to brand it the most powerful.
However, the team itself is less optimistic, and technical director Pierre Wache conceded that Red Bull wouldn't be a front-running outfit in 2026, claiming that Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren are the leaders. Which side should be believed will remain a mystery until the Australian season opener.
Arvid Lindblad: Rookie of the year
New chassis rules, new engine rules, new teams on the grid – you'd be forgiven for thinking everything was brand-new in F1 this year. Well, there’s one thing that’s decidedly old and that’s the driver line-up in 2026, as there will be just one rookie racer this year.
Arvid Lindblad is the sole rookie driver on the grid in 2026, and he joins Racing Bulls alongside Liam Lawson. The British racer has been part of the Red Bull junior programme since 2021, and raced his way through Italian F4, where he finished third; Formula 3, where he won on debut in the Bahrain sprint race; and finally Formula 2, where he took three wins on his way to sixth in the championship.
Now, he faces a tough transition to Formula 1 in a year of change for the series, and in a team that is notoriously tough on its juniors.
Before making his on-track debut with the team, the 18-year-old admitted that Racing Bulls had warned him that his move into F1 would be “difficult”, and he told Formula1.com in Abu Dhabi that he was “aware of the fact that it will be a big challenge.”
The scale of the challenge became clear when he went off track during his first taste of the VCARB 03 during a shakedown in Italy. Preparations for the new season have only ramped up since then with Lindblad running in Barcelona and Bahrain, where he was asked if being a rookie in 2026 may actually prove to be an advantage given the widespread overhaul of the series. Unsurprisingly, he was diplomatic in his response.
“Maybe, I don't know,” he said. “It's not really something I think about, it's the way it is. So, I'm just focused on working hard and trying to prepare for the season. Because that's the thing that's going to help me to perform better.”
Another tight title fight
When you break them down, the aim of the 2026 F1 regulations was to make the championship more exciting – which means more overtakes, closer racing and, maybe, a wider championship fight.
After F1 testing, and depending on who you ask, opinion is split on whether the shakeup has managed this – as rule changes are notorious for creating a dominant team while the rest of the grid plays catch up. Some think Mercedes is going to be dominant once again, and suspect there was a hint of sandbagging in the test to hide its true potential. Others point to Red Bull and its energy deployment as a real strength, and then there’s Ferrari, which was quietly consistent and could have some tricks up its sleeve.
As such, the driver with the “favourite” tag has ebbed and flowed in recent weeks – initially George Russell was seen as the one to beat, then Verstappen. Of course, one of these drivers could prove to be formidable come the Australian Grand Prix. But, at the same time, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari could all turn out to be in the mix, alongside Mercedes customer team McLaren, which will be out for a third consecutive constructors’ crown.
If these four teams really are at the same level, and only time will tell if this is the case, we could be on for a truly dramatic fight for the drivers crown as Russell fights with Piastri and Charles Leclerc for their first crowns, and Verstappen, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton all look to add to their tallies.
