Ironically, a lot of this is only relevant until... this Sunday. After Sunday, the F1 season is over, and 2026 cars will be very different.
2026 cars will have less downforce and less drag (closer to Indycar) but also "active" aerodynamics (elements on both the front and rear wings can flatten on-demand to reduce drag, or raise to produce more downforce) and a hybrid power unit closer to 50/50 split between ICE and electric horsepower than the current 85/15 split for F1 cars or 80/20 for Indycars.
F1 next year will probably be chaos because there are so many different aspects that teams may have gotten wrong in development.
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There are some inaccuracies though regardless. I am pretty sure that teams do not go through multiple sets of brake pads in a weekend. They last several races, no different than Indycar.
I don't follow F1 at all, but I do see references to it a ton more than I ever used to, so I assume it is surging in popularity.
Why would they make such drastic changes for 2026? Is it to intentionally shake things up and make it more interesting? If so, I love that that is something they are willing to do. Most pro sports are pretty traditional and change quit slowly. Even the fastest changing league (in my opinion), the NBA, still changes quite slowly.
Regulation changes are pretty common (they happen every couple of years, 2014, 2017, 2022, 2026 etc.) and basically yes they do serve to intentionally shake things up. Regulation changes are not typically as large as this though - this is definitely the biggest change in more than a decade.
All the regs changes since 2014 have mostly left the engines alone and changed only the aerodynamic rules, whereas 2026 combines a huge change to both engines and aerodynamic rules.
Part of the appeal of F1 is the constant technological development arms race aspect so it's not just that it shakes up the order but that it's pushing the arms race in a direction that manufacturers (e.g. Honda, Ford, Audi, Mercedes, GM) are interested in. The 50/50 hybrid split was aimed at attracting manufacturers and keeping them interested in the sport and it has been basically successful at doing so, so long as it doesn't turn into a disaster lol.
Active aerodynamics is controversial but somewhat necessary to make the 50/50 split work, because otherwise the cars would be too draggy.
Its so interesting that the difference between Indy and F1 in terms of lap times is objectively marginal but subjectively extreme.
I would have guessed given the extreme cost difference between them there would have been a significant gap (like 30 seconds) but the fact that it’s only a few seconds difference is surprising.
I think the cars reflect pretty well the intended ethos and "vibes" of both competitions. Indycar still feels a bit like "dudes racing cars" while F1 has become a corporate hi-tech extravaganza.
Both have their appeal, but I feel Indy produces better actual racing for the spectator despite being slower and less refined technically. I do watch both.
At the 2025 Indy 500 they had Tom Brady driving laps in an Indy car engaged in banter witb the broadcast team up before the race started. Then a US military propaganda moment flying Blackhawk helos over the track to titillate their target audience.
I followed Indycar this past season, watched nearly every race and had planned on attending a race but then didn't make the trip. I'm not sure what Indycar is trying to be, tbh. The Indy 500 is a spectacle, the rest of the season is not nearly as interesting. There's some good racing, but F1 is more technically interesting and maybe better overall. NASCAR is boring as hell, just stage-managed bullshit like pro wrestling and I have not followed it in over 20 years.
This is the last season with Renault as a F1 engine manufacturer. Their team (Alpine) will use Mercedes engine from 2026.
There will be many changes next year. Audi enters as manufacturer with its own team (they bought Sauber.) The two Red Bull teams will use their own Red Bull engine, with the help of Ford. Honda will power Aston Martin. The new Cadillac team will use Ferrari engines and build its own engine for 2028.
The table lists F1 cars as having "Carbon fiber brake calipers".
This is glaringly incorrect. All current brake calipers are machined from aluminum, specifically Aluminum-Lithium or Aluminum-Copper alloys. There is a rule denoting bulk elasticity modulus limit on brake calipers of 80 GPa, which was set just at that to allow the more exotic Lithium Aluminum alloys but to dis-allow Titanium alloys or anything else stiffer (There was experimentation with Titanium calipers in the past.)
Absolutely no calipers are made from composites, CF, graphite, or otherwise.
Discs are Carbon-carbon.
The biggest difference that stood out to me was that the fuel compositions are almost exactly opposite; 85/15 ethanol/gasoline for Indy and 10/90 for F1.
I was able to find plenty of articles saying that next year F1 will move to a "100% sustainable fuel", but none that actually mentioned the composition. Is it likely to move closer to the make-up of the Indy fuel?
> An IndyCar is heavier than a Formula 1 car: while a Formula 1 car weighs 1759 pounds / 798 kg including the driver, an IndyCar weighs 1700 pounds / 771 kg on road and street courses, excluding the driver.
The huge difference with f1 is that each team more or less make their own _bespoke_ car (except engine). With indycar is much more of a spec series where Dallara(?) makes the chassies for each team.
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[ 0.23 ms ] story [ 48.1 ms ] thread2026 cars will have less downforce and less drag (closer to Indycar) but also "active" aerodynamics (elements on both the front and rear wings can flatten on-demand to reduce drag, or raise to produce more downforce) and a hybrid power unit closer to 50/50 split between ICE and electric horsepower than the current 85/15 split for F1 cars or 80/20 for Indycars.
F1 next year will probably be chaos because there are so many different aspects that teams may have gotten wrong in development.
---
There are some inaccuracies though regardless. I am pretty sure that teams do not go through multiple sets of brake pads in a weekend. They last several races, no different than Indycar.
Why would they make such drastic changes for 2026? Is it to intentionally shake things up and make it more interesting? If so, I love that that is something they are willing to do. Most pro sports are pretty traditional and change quit slowly. Even the fastest changing league (in my opinion), the NBA, still changes quite slowly.
All the regs changes since 2014 have mostly left the engines alone and changed only the aerodynamic rules, whereas 2026 combines a huge change to both engines and aerodynamic rules.
Part of the appeal of F1 is the constant technological development arms race aspect so it's not just that it shakes up the order but that it's pushing the arms race in a direction that manufacturers (e.g. Honda, Ford, Audi, Mercedes, GM) are interested in. The 50/50 hybrid split was aimed at attracting manufacturers and keeping them interested in the sport and it has been basically successful at doing so, so long as it doesn't turn into a disaster lol.
Active aerodynamics is controversial but somewhat necessary to make the 50/50 split work, because otherwise the cars would be too draggy.
I would have guessed given the extreme cost difference between them there would have been a significant gap (like 30 seconds) but the fact that it’s only a few seconds difference is surprising.
Both have their appeal, but I feel Indy produces better actual racing for the spectator despite being slower and less refined technically. I do watch both.
At the 2025 Indy 500 they had Tom Brady driving laps in an Indy car engaged in banter witb the broadcast team up before the race started. Then a US military propaganda moment flying Blackhawk helos over the track to titillate their target audience.
WEC (and IMSA a bit) solve those problems but they have so many drivers and teams that it takes a lot of dedication to follow along.
In the end you end up wondering if your favorites could hack it in the WRC.
There will be many changes next year. Audi enters as manufacturer with its own team (they bought Sauber.) The two Red Bull teams will use their own Red Bull engine, with the help of Ford. Honda will power Aston Martin. The new Cadillac team will use Ferrari engines and build its own engine for 2028.
Not sure if true given that it’s fiction, but they do seem to be based on reality
This is glaringly incorrect. All current brake calipers are machined from aluminum, specifically Aluminum-Lithium or Aluminum-Copper alloys. There is a rule denoting bulk elasticity modulus limit on brake calipers of 80 GPa, which was set just at that to allow the more exotic Lithium Aluminum alloys but to dis-allow Titanium alloys or anything else stiffer (There was experimentation with Titanium calipers in the past.)
Absolutely no calipers are made from composites, CF, graphite, or otherwise. Discs are Carbon-carbon.
I was able to find plenty of articles saying that next year F1 will move to a "100% sustainable fuel", but none that actually mentioned the composition. Is it likely to move closer to the make-up of the Indy fuel?
This seems to contradict itself.