The FIA has revealed it was an intentional decision to be restrictive with the initial 2026 Formula 1 technical regulations as it intends to relax some elements later on.
Earlier this week, the FIA published the guidelines that will shape the sport’s new era as it strives to enhance the overall racing spectacle with lighter and smaller cars.
The proposed rules target a 30kg reduction in weight and a 100mm cut in width on the current cars, while there is slated to be 30% less downforce and 55% less drag.
But the FIA Technical Director Jan Monchaux has divulged that it opted to limit the rules as it would be an easier process to open them up rather than clamping down.
“So, we are still in discussion, and we are always in discussion with the teams,” Monchaux said. “They have expressed concerns, for sure.
“Typically, teams are always good, a bit reluctant at implementing large changes. So, it’s a bit of an ongoing compromise that needs to constantly be found.
“The approach we had, since we needed to respect the framework in terms of date of publication, the regulation as has been presented now, and which hopefully will be voted, is probably the most restrictive teams will be seeing.
“Because we think also it’s going to be far easier in the next months to start increasing the freedom and review some aspect of the regulation, which potentially are far too constrained, than the other way around. Because they will all agree on having more freedom.
“If we had gone the other way around, and effectively, let’s say, have something like providing a lot of freedom in their ability to design the cars, we would potentially realise in October or November on that one, we don’t necessarily want, because it might put at some of the targets we want to achieve with these new regs.
“So, it’s simply the approach we think is more reasonable to effectively now, step by step, since we have, I think, a solid basis to start discussion.
“To review some areas where, for the moment, we offer little or no freedom to, if we convince ourselves with the active support of the team, to potentially say, okay, in this area, you can do more, it’s okay for us, you have more freedom, because we are convinced through works that we’ll have to do, that it’s not going to put at risk all the high-level objective mentioned, the nimble car, which comes with reduction of weight, which comes with some reduction of downforce.
“And I think the process like this will be working, because it’s pretty much straightforward, because it would always say, yes, for more freedom.”
Williams Team Principal James Vowles has expressed concern that the rules in their current guise would see the 2026 cars lap close to their Formula 2 counterparts.
However, FIA Single Seater Director Tombazis has dampened those worries with his assessment that it will be straightforward to relax the anticipated downforce cut.
“I think the fears are accurate because people are taking a snapshot of what the regulations on a piece of paper are now and making comments based on what they see,” Tombazis said. “So, I don’t have any concern about these issues raised by people.
“But clearly, as I explained at the start, we have full expectation to make some steps up for performance, and that’s exactly why we’ve set the bar reasonably low to start with, so we can build up on that with the collaboration with teams.
“And to increase the downforce of these cars is actually quite easy. It’s not, you know, if you have the regulator of freedom, I mean. And that’s exactly the step we’re going to take.
“So, I understand the comments. I don’t think there’s any concern these cars will be not faster than F2 or anything like that.
“I think that would be 100% resolved by the time we are in the final regs.”
