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McLaren F1 star Oscar Piastri has said that the 2026 season will be ‘exciting for fans’, with a tight battle for both championships expected.
2026 could well see F1 flipped on its head, with wholesale regulation changes sweeping into the sport that may see a shake up of the competitive order.
For McLaren, that could be bad news, with the Woking-based outfit having dominated the field in 2025, winning 14 of 24 races and claiming constructors’ championship success as early as the Singapore Grand Prix.
Mercedes are rumoured to be best placed to master the regulations in 2026, while Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin are also all hoping to make gains and challenge for podiums and race wins.
As it stands, the race for the drivers’ title looks wide open, following a three-way battle in 2025. Piastri and Max Verstappen chased Lando Norris hard in the final few rounds of the season, but the British driver claimed success by just two points.
That was despite the fact Piastri had led the championship between April-October. Now, while reflecting on his 2025 season, Piastri has issued a prediction for 2026, claiming that the drivers are likely going to be able to make a real difference.
“There will be many points where you can make a difference as a driver,” he told Fox Sports while visiting the fourth Ashes test match in Melbourne. “Which I think for the fans should be exciting, and with the new rules you never quite know who’s going to nail it and who’s not so hopefully we’re one of the people that nail it.”
Both power units and car chassis are having a major overhaul in 2026, in what is one of the biggest regulations resets in the history of the sport.
Power units are going to have a much bigger emphasis on electrical energy, while car designs are going to be lighter, more nimble and hopefully more able to race each other hard.
Cars will be lighter by 30kg in 2026, the wheelbase will be reduced by 20cm and the car width will be reduced by 10cm.
The maximum floor width will also be reduced by 15cm, while the width of the front tyres will be decreased by 2.5cm and the rears by 3cm. Pirelli and the F1 grid recently tested the new tyres on mule cars during the post-season tyre test in Abu Dhabi.
F1 front wings will be 10cm narrower and will feature a two element active flap. The rear wing will then have a three element flap and the lower beam wing has been removed.
The removal of this is key, to ensure that a following car will encounter less turbulence or ’dirty air’, a major impediment to overtaking this past year.
On top of this, ‘overtake mode’ will be available to drivers who are within one second of the car in front at activation points. It’s replacing DRS, which had been in F1 since 2011.
Drivers will push a ‘Boost’ button to activate the mode, but only if they have enough charge of battery. They can use it all at once or spread it out across a lap.
F1 2026 DRIVER LINEUP: F1 grid SET as Red Bull complete driver jigsaw puzzle
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