F1 fans warned cars will be significantly slower in 2026

F1 fans have been warned by a senior figure in the FIA that cars in the sport will be noticeably slower to start the 2026 season.

Next year will see major changes in the sport's regulations, both in terms of engines and car design, which are expected to shake up the grid in a major way.

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There remains great uncertainty over just how significant an impact it will have initially, but FIA single-seat 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."

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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 as being forthcoming with their data as he would like, stating that 'some are quite secretive about what they do'.

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