F1 2026 CHANGED THE TRACK OF THE SPORT

The 77th season of F1 had just made everyone go eights and donuts as a lot of the regulation, car specs and even calendar schedule went differently from what was expected. From the change of people on podiums to change of people in the garage. Just how surprising can this season be?

On the 76th season, the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) announced that there will be changes on the 77th season and all fans have seen what the new season has to offer. From drivers dominating their cars to cars dominating their drivers. It's just a lot to take in specially for the fans.

The Cars: 

The 2026 Formula 1 regulation overhaul introduced a smaller, 30kg lighter, and more agile cars, featuring active aerodynamics which replaced the Drag Reduction System with movable front and rear wings (to encourage more speed). The 2026 cars are 200 mm shorter wheelbase than those 2025 cars, 100mm less width and a 50/50 power split between V6 engine and electric motor.

However, in the first few races which happened in Australia, China and Japan, a lot of notable comments from F1 drivers had been released. Alonso talked about adjusting to the wheel due to the new power unit rules and active aerodynamics. Some engineers as well had a hard time reconciling the parts of the car that a lot of good drivers end up going DNF which is frustrating when you're competing for championship. Battery Management was also highlighted as drivers struggle with balancing the energy consumption to avoid going completely depleted which is also a safety concern in the midst of a roaring 300kpH road during races. The car grip was also a common issue to which drivers recommended FIA to make adjustments specially in power deployment. 

With these issues, the notable change of podium dominance has been notably great, especially dominating teams from the previous season are struggling to get on the podium which upsets some fans, and yet somehow, goes back to each team’s garage and engineering. Hopefully all teams will resolve their issues as each of their individual cars is lacking or needing upgrade.

The Teams: 

2026 has welcomed the Cadillac team which has made the grid add one more to ten. The grid welcomes back Sergio “Checo” Perez (former Oracle Red Bull Racing driver) and Valtteri Bottas (former Mercedes AMG reserved driver) as the new drivers for the new Cadillac F1 team. 

The F1 Calendar

With the Australian, Chinese, and Japan Grands Prix concluded last March, the schedule for this April has been cancelled due to the ongoing wars in the Middle East. The Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GP have been cancelled and the other Middle East venues (Azerbaijan, Qatar and Abu Dhabi) are still bleak as it is still at the midst and ends of the year. All fans hope for a better F1 season calendar but hey, we still have the other rounds starting back this May 1st-3rd with the Miami GP after a race-less April.

Though this year proved to be a year of change and changes, light up F1 fans and enjoy the corners, bends and straights of the 2026 circuit.