2026 F1 Season Preview

By Teagan Crump

The brand new F1 season starts this weekend in Australia, but there are a lot of changes that have happened since the chequered flag was flown in Abu Dhabi. Here is your guide to the vital information that you need to know before the five red lights go out on Sunday.

A new team and a rebrand

The last time a team joined F1 was in 2016 when Haas made their debut. But there is one new team on the Formula One grid in 2026: Cadillac. The newest American team have signed two of the most experiences drivers on the F1 grid to represent them: Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas.

Over the Winter Break, Sauber became Audi after Audi AG bought the Swiss team in 2024. Their driver line-up remains unchanged from 2025.

New and returning drivers

There is only one rookie driver on the 2026 F1 grid: Arvid Lindblad.

Racing Bull's newest driver competed in both Formula Regional Oceania Championship and FIA Formula Two in 2025. Across the two series, Lindblad won nine races and gained a total of 17 podiums. He is the reigning FROC champion. Lindblad joined Red Bull as a supported driver in 2021 before fully joining the Red Bull Junior Team in 2022.

The two returning drivers are Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas.

Most recently, Pérez racd in F1 in 2024 with Red Bull Racing, where he scored four podiums and finished eighth in the standings. The last time that Bottas raced was also in 2024 when he competed in F1 with Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber and finsihed 22nd in the standings.

In 2025, Bottas served as Mercedes F1's Reserve Driver as well as both McLaren's and Williams' Test Driver.

The drivers:

Engine differences

One of the biggest differences for 2026 is the power of the engines. There is now a shift towards an almost 50/5- split between power from the internal combustion engine (ICE) and electrical power.

The ICE will reduce from approx 550kW to 400kW whilst the electrical power will increase from 120kW to 350kW.

The impractical MGU-H (Motor Generator Unit-Heat) has been replaced with the new MGU-K (Motor Generator Unit- Kinetic) which allows for a greater amount of energy recovered under braking.

Smaller cars

The 2026 Formula One cars are significantly smaller than previously.

The minimum weight is 30kg lighter. The wheelbase maximum is 200mm shorter whilst the maximum width of the car is 100mm narrower. Additionally, there is a 25mm reduction in front tyre width and a 30mm reduction in rear tyre width.

In terms of aerodynamics, there is a 30% reduction in Downforce and a 55% reduction in Drag.

No more DRS

F1's Drag Reduction System (DRS) has been changed in the new generation of cars, being replaced by active aero.

There are two different modes in active aero: Z-Mode (cornering) and X-Mode (straight-line speed).

Z-Mode is the a high-downforce setting that allows the front and rear wings to keep a high grip level whilst cornering.

X-Mode is a low-drag set-up that is similar to DRS as wing elements are able to open. However, drivers can use this on straights to maximise speed, rather than just when overtaking.

Manuel Override Mode is a new mode specifically for overtaking- when a driver is one second behind the car in front, they can deploy extra energy.

The calendar