Formula 1 is introducing a new set of regulations in 2026, complete with a new engine that is powered by a 50/50 split of conventional and electric energy.
Other new components are coming to the car, including the addition of active aerodynamics, which will replace the current drag reduction system (DRS).
These changes are the biggest that the sport has seen since 2015, when the hybrid powertrains were introduced.
The changes will allow a new pecking order to be established, giving any team the chance to nail the new regulations and get a head start on the 2026 season.
While there is excitement around the new machinery, there are detractors in the paddock who are unconvinced about the changes.
There are questions about the cars lacking downforce compared to the current regulations, which will lead to slower cornering speeds and potentially longer lap times.
FIA’s single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis does not believe there is merit to concerns about slower lap times.
“First of all, I do get a bit surprised by how much emphasis is put on the actual lap times,” Tombazis said during an interview with Motorsport.com.
“We’ve had various phases of the sport when cars have been slower or faster, and I think once you are used to it, it’s okay. If you walk out of a simulator or in real life go from one car to another car that is one second and a half slower, you initially think ‘this is not a good car’, because you feel that second and a half.
“But I think once you’ve driven that a bit, then it actually doesn’t matter. I really don’t think the lap times are going to be a factor once people get used to these cars.
“In our simulations, the new cars will be between one and two-and-a-half seconds slower at the start of the regulations, and clearly, there will be evolution that will make them gain speed.
“I find it a bit surprising why people actually care. Clearly if we’d make cars as slow as F2 or anything like that, then obviously people will have something to say about it, but that is definitely not the case.”
The new F1 cars will be unprecedented, pushing the bounds of how much kinetic energy has been used in the sport.
As more people buy electric cars, the sport is heading in that direction, matching consumer road car trends.
In this first step of making a jump in electric energy powering an F1 car, slower speeds make sense as engineers adapt.
Over the coming years, cars should become quicker and more efficient in handling and generating kinetic energy, leading to faster speeds.
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