New era of Formula 1 – what is changing in 2026?

The 2026 Formula 1 season is almost here and there are plenty of changes for fans to get used to at the first race in Australia.

F1 is stepping into the unknown with some of the biggest rule changes the sport has ever seen, with the power unit, chassis, tyres and fuel all new for 2026.

Cars are now smaller and more environmentally friendly, with engines that have a near 50-50 split between electric and internal combustion power – and use fully sustainable fuels.

However, there is concern within F1 about the degree of energy management required, and how that will affect driving styles during qualifying and races.

The drag reduction system (DRS) has been replaced with overtake mode, which gives drivers a burst of extra electric energy when they are within one second of the car ahead at a detection point, typically the final corner.

DRS no longer exists because of active aero, which allows both the rear and front wings to adjust angles on the straights to reduce drag and to increase downforce in the corners.

During the second week of pre-season testing, Ferrari turned heads with their rotating ‘upside down’ rear wing when the car’s straight-line mode was activated.

Opinions were mixed on the new cars and regulations over the six days of testing in Bahrain.

British teenager Arvid Lindblad is the sole rookie driver this year and is partnering Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls.

The 18-year-old, who has a Swedish father and a mother of Indian descent, entered the record books last year when he became the youngest winner in Formula 2 history, aged 17 years and 243 days.

F1 gets its own version of ‘El Clasico’ this season as Barcelona will be joined by Madrid in hosting races in Spain.

The Spanish Grand Prix will now be held in the Spanish capital from 11-13 September at the Madring, a new purpose-built, 22-corner track which uses both public roads and private land.

Isack Hadjar has been handed a promotion for 2026 following the departure of Yuki Tsunoda and will partner four-time world champion Verstappen at Red Bull.

The 21-year-old Frenchman spent his rookie season at sister team Racing Bulls and gained his maiden podium – a third place at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Hadjar’s first target will be to get close enough to Verstappen in order to share the points load with the Dutchman.

The last time Verstappen was beaten by a team-mate was at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in April 2023, when Sergio Perez claimed victory and he finished runner-up.

Since then, however, the struggles of the second seat driver have persisted, and Perez eventually left the team at the end of 2024.

Last year, Lawson was given a chance to shine but the New Zealander was dropped back down to Racing Bulls after only two races and was swapped with Tsunoda.

F1 welcomes its first start-up entry on to the grid since Haas 10 years ago with the arrival of fellow American team Cadillac.

Opting for the experience of Mexican Perez and former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas – both multiple grands prix winners – Cadillac, who are using a Ferrari power unit, had a mixed pre-season testing, with a few issues here and there that kept both drivers sat in the garage.

Team principal Graeme Lowdon, though, says fans should not read too much into testing, as he is “extremely happy with the team [and] very, very happy with the platform that we’re building”.

Audi are also newcomers in 2026, making their debut in the sport having acquired the Swiss-based Sauber team.

The German outfit have decided not to play it safe in their first campaign and have designed and built an in-house power unit.

Aston Martin are at the beginning of their new works partnership with Honda, so maybe a few teething problems were to be expected. However, the team’s running in Bahrain was a disappointment from start to finish.

The power unit by the Japanese manufacturer suffered with reliability issues and on the final day of action, the team called time on their programme after only six laps for Lance Stroll – a lack of engine parts curtailing their data gathering following Fernando Alonso’s battery-related problem the day before.

The British Grand Prix has been chosen as one of the six tracks to host a sprint event this season, marking Silverstone’s return to the shorter race format for the first time since its introduction in 2021.

The Chinese and Miami Grands Prix are back for a third consecutive year, while Canada, Zandvoort in the Netherlands and Singapore are holding a sprint race for the first time.

This year is the Dutch Grand Prix’s swansong in Formula 1 following its comeback in 2021 after a 36-year absence.