The 2026 season will feature a major set of regulation changes with a revised power unit configuration and new active aerodynamics. Two new power unit manufacturers will enter the sport:
Ford will return to the sport for the first time since
2004, supplying
Red Bull Racing and
RB, while
Audi, who acquired
Sauber in
2024, will enter as a
works team.
Entries
The following constructors and drivers are under contract to compete in the 2026 World Championship. All teams are due to compete with tyres supplied by
Pirelli.[1] Each team is required to enter at least two drivers, one for each of the two mandatory cars.[citation needed]
Teams and drivers that are contracted to compete in the 2026 World Championship
Two new engine manufacturers will enter Formula One, coinciding with the engine regulation changes.
Audi will enter the sport for the first time, having purchased the existing
Sauber team in
2024. The team will race in the 2024 and
2025 seasons as
Kick Sauber, using
Ferrari engines, before becoming the Audi factory team for 2026. As a result,
Haas will become the only Ferrari customer team.[27][28]
Ford will return to Formula One as an engine supplier for the first time since it provided engines for
Jaguar,
Jordan and
Minardi, the last as
Cosworth, in
2004. It will form a partnership with
Red Bull Powertrains, which will supply
Red Bull Racing and their second team
RB.
Honda, which partially withdrew from Formula One in
2021 whilst remaining in the sport as partners to Red Bull Powertrains, will split from the two Red Bull-owned teams and relaunch a fully-fledged engine program starting with
Aston Martin under the
Honda Racing Corporation banner, who will end their customer supply deal with
Mercedes after seventeen seasons. Honda had previously collaborated with the
Silverstone-based team as Jordan from
1998 to
2002.[29][30]
List of planned Grands Prix
The following seventeen Grands Prix are contracted to be held in 2026:
New power unit regulations are due to be introduced for the 2026 season. These engine regulations will see the turbocharged 1.6 V6
internal combustion engine configuration used since
2014 retained. The new power units will produce over 1,000
bhp (750
kW), although the power will come from different sources. The
MGU-H (Motor Generator Unit – Heat), which has been in use since
2014, will be banned, while the
MGU-K (Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic) output will increase to 470 bhp (350 kW). Previously, the
MGU-H and
MGU-K produced a combined power output of 160 bhp (120 kW). The power output of the internal combustion part of the power unit will decrease to 540 bhp (400 kW) from 850 bhp (630 kW). In addition, fuel flow rates will be measured and limited based on energy, rather than mass or volume of the fuel itself. The new power units are due to be run on a fully
sustainable fuel being developed by
Formula One.[57][58] The power units are expected to recover twice as much electrical energy as before.[59]
Car size and aerodynamics
On 6 June 2024, the 2026 car concept was revealed. The concept featured new active aerodynamics in both the front and rear wings. The concept saw the elimination of the
drag reduction system, being replaced by a new manual override engine mode.[60] The wheelbase was reduced from 360 cm (140 in) to 340 cm (130 in), the width was reduced from 200 cm (79 in) to 190 cm (75 in), and the minimum mass was reduced by 30 kg (66 lb). The tyres' widths will also be reduced by 2.5 cm (0.98 in) on the front pair and by 3.0 cm (1.2 in) on the rears.[59][61] The floor will have reduced
ground effect to ease the issues cars have suffered with
porpoising.[62]
^
abcKallas, Fernando (23 January 2024).
"Madrid to host Spanish GP from 2026, Barcelona future uncertain". Retrieved 7 May 2024. Madrid will host the Spanish Grand Prix from 2026 to 2035 on a new city circuit around the capital's IFEMA exhibition centre, Formula One said on Tuesday in an announcement that left Barcelona facing an uncertain future.