‘Impossible’ and ‘wishful thinking’ – drivers consider key goal of F1 2026 car

Some of F1’s top drivers have expressed concerns about how the sport intends to reduce the weight of cars amid the new F1 2026 regulations.

Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, the FIA ​​announced its intentions for new chassis regulations for 2026 – these regulations build on the already approved powertrain regulations that focus on increased electrification alongside the combustion engine.

Max Verstappen: Losing weight will be very difficult

As the new powerplants are intended to be more complex versions of the 1.6-litre V6 hybrids currently in use, the need to maintain F1 speed means that aerodynamics regulations required significant changes to compensate for the loss in power.

This included the introduction of active aerodynamics and the desire to introduce smaller, lighter machines, with the wheelbase reduced by 200 mm and the cars becoming 100 mm narrower.

Downforce levels have been reduced by approximately 30 percent and air resistance has been reduced by 55 percent to compensate for the lower top speeds.

While the regulations are being met with some concern in the F1 paddock, several drivers have openly stated that the desired 30kg weight loss is a step too far to be achievable.

“It’s going to be very difficult at the moment with everything that’s going on. But let’s see,” reigning world champion Max Verstappen said in Canada.

“I mean, even now some bands are overweight, right? So, to lose another 30 kilograms, of course I know that the measurements change a bit, but I’m sure that let’s say 30 kilograms would be the ideal scenario… let’s say that.

Verstappen agreed that the ideal value to properly compensate for the engine change would be around 100–150 kilograms, but stated that such values ​​were unattainable.

“Right now, with everything that’s going on, no. This is not possible,” he said.

“It also has to do with the engine, right? The engine and battery are very heavy, long and wide.

“It’s just wishful thinking at the moment, but that’s definitely what we need – to make the game more agile and probably more fun.

“Obviously, safety has added a lot of weight, which is obviously good, but I’m sure we can do things a little differently, but it depends on the regulations you write.”

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Two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso, who will be racing in his fourth power unit regulation cycle after debuting in the naturally aspirated 3.0-litre V10 era in 2001, has said he would be more in favor of simplifying the rules.

“I think it’s probably impossible to get to 30 kilograms anymore,” he said.

“If the power unit is 50% electric and you need batteries for it, the cars will simply add 20-30 kilograms to the weight because of the power unit.

“And then you want to reduce 30 (kilograms) – you have to lose 60 kilograms of the current car, which is the same as at the moment, probably for the teams (it is) an impossible goal to achieve.

“They have two years to achieve this goal and as always in Formula 1, what is impossible in 2024 will become reality in 2026 because there are very smart people in the teams. But I think everything is a consequence of something else that is in cars.

“I think it should be simpler, maybe it should just be pure racing, more dependent on the drivers, the team and the specific set-up on a specific race track – remember that in the past there was more freedom in car design.

“Some Formula 1 cars had six wheels, just to give an example. On some tracks this may help you, while on others you will get hurt.

“It’s the same when we had Michelin and Bridgestone tires in 2005. Maybe a difficult season for Bridgestone, if Michelin had been better, maybe it had rained here in Montreal and the intermediate tires were great for Bridgestone and all their cars could have won the race and been on the podium.

“So I like that kind of freedom, that you can choose something. And it’s not just that everything is dictated by regulations. But this is a personal point of view – everyone will have their own and I am happy, I will adapt. the most important thing is that you have the fastest car. And that’s what we need to work on.”

While Alonso is looking forward to simplifying the regulations, Alex Albon has also expressed his skepticism about F1’s plans to make the cars lighter than they currently are at a time when even the current 798kg is not within the reach of some teams.

“Let’s see. I mean lighter, but it makes the teams lighter,” Albon said when asked about the proposed new target weights.

“I don’t know which elements of the regulations make it possible to reduce their burden. I don’t know the details about this.

“I don’t know if they’ll give us a lighter Halo, lighter wheels or whatever. However, I don’t think weight comes for free. It’s more of a commitment from the team to try and get down to that weight.

“I think car size is the right direction. I’m not saying this negatively. I just think there are positives and negatives to this whole thing.

“It seems like getting back what the regulations of this engine create means things get incredibly complicated. The whole aero path we’re going to take with this. I’d rather just have simpler engines, a little more standardized parts in the engines, and just go back to more basic regulations.

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