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F1 shake up sees 'parc ferme disappear' but only in one scenario

Sheona Mountford Tuesday 3 March 2026 14:27

Oscar Piastri is attended to in his pit-box by his McLaren team in Bahrain

Yet another tweak to the F1 rules will be introduced in 2026, this time surrounding parc ferme.

'Parc ferme' — which literally means 'closed park' in French — refers to a secure area at a circuit where the cars are inspected by the FIA's scrutineers for legality and safety.

The term also denotes the period of time during a grand prix weekend where the car is in the garage, but are being watched over by a scrutineer and teams are restricted on the work they can do with them.

'Parc ferme conditions' mean that most work on the car is banned and teams are usually unable to altar the setup of the car. A team enters parc ferme conditions when they leave the pit lane for the start of qualifying.

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Parc ferme will be scrapped in one circumstance

For the 2026 season, the FIA have introduced a change to parc ferme but only in the case of rain.

If there is a 'Risk of Rain' declaration (when a rainfall forecast exceeds 40 per cent) it will be possible for teams to change setups between qualifying and the race. The 'Risk of Rain' declaration must be made two hours before qualifying based on the weather forecast.

The FIA have informed teams about which components of the car can be modified, and is expected to include wings and suspension settings.

However, the night curfew remains in place, which means setup changes must be made within the five hours between when the mechanics are allowed into the pits on Sunday morning and when the cars are positioned on the grid.

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F1 FIA 2026 regulations