F1 cars will be slower in 2026

A senior figure from within the FIA expects F1 cars to be slower in the early stages of next season as teams embark on a new era.

2026 will see the long-awaited introduction of new engine regulations and changes to car designs, which have been brought in to reduce the sport's carbon footprint and increase competition on the track.

There remains great uncertainty over just how significant an impact it will have initially, but FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis has admitted he expects to see a downturn when it comes to speed.

"According to our simulations, the cars are slowing down by between one and two-and-a-half seconds per lap," he said. "But this is just the beginning.

"The teams will develop their cars quickly. Soon, no one will complain that the cars are too slow.

"We're not falling to the level of Formula 2, but to be fair, we haven't received data from all the teams on the expected downforce of their cars.

"So it's possible that some are worse positioned at the start."

FIA director confident over 2026 changes

He continued: "There have been periods throughout the sport's history when lap times have decreased.

"I don't think it's harmed the sport. You get used to it quickly.

"There are also one-and-a-half-second differences on the grid. Does that make the slower car an unattractive race car?

"The driver feels the one-and-a-half-second difference. From the outside, you barely notice it."

Tombazis recently expressed his frustration that not every team is being as forthcoming with their data as he would like, stating that 'some are quite secretive about what they do'.

Mercedes are the team who are rumoured to be set to make the biggest step forward in 2026, although some pundits and ex-drivers have warned against listening to these murmurings, with an unpredictability surrounding next season and multiple teams embarking on new power unit partnerships.

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