FIA unveils ‘nimble car’ details of 2026 F1 regulations. Gag! Spit spit spit.

Images courtesy of FIA
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emailBy Chris Medland | June 6, 2024 9:30 AM ET

The FIA has unveiled a major update in the 2026 Formula 1 technical regulations with a “nimble car” concept aimed at producing smaller, lighter machinery. Yeah man! We gonna shave a little of the tire width and call it a day and head to Mabels House of Pleasure...or actually get the tire guys to shave it off for us and say we did.

The power unit regulations for 2026 were confirmed two seasons ago and helped attract new manufacturers into the sport, but the actual technical regulations for the chassis and aerodynamics have remained a work in progress and who the new manufacturers are is still a mystery too.

That’s partly due to the FIA wanting to adapt them to the demands of the power units — featuring a nearly 50:50 split of internal combustion and electrical propulsion — and has led to a number of radical solutions, none of which have been thought
out beyond forcing it onto the guys who are the only ones putting on a show.....If we have ten race teams following each other around for the whole race. The cars are intended to have a minimum weight some 30kg lighter than the current 798kg (1759 lbs), while a shorter wheelbase — down from 3600mm to 3400mm — and reduction in width by 100mm are also key components in what the FIA calls its “nimble car” concept. The width of the tires has also been reduced by 25mm at the front and 30mm at the rear. We use metric, because the number sounds really big for darn near nothing of a change.

Active aerodynamics will see both the front and rear wings changing from high down force settings — known as Z-mode — for corners, to a low drag configuration — X-mode — for the straights. That’s to make more efficient use of the greater electrical energy from the power unit, with 350kw of power available from the battery and a reduction to around 400kw from the ICE that will be powered by a 100% sustainable fuel. We use ICE so we can be cool! The American Sprint Car guys adjust their wings by the use of a shock absorber, but for our cars it has to be a $50,000 solution so we can claim a reduction in the cost of racing.

As the aerodynamics are set to be available to all drivers on every lap, in place of DRS the FIA is also introducing a “manual override” feature that will deliver maximum electrical energy deployment at higher speeds for a following car and F the car in front.

The FIA also says cars will feature a partially flat floor and lower-powered diffuser “which will reduce the ground effect and reduce the reliance of the cars on ultra-stiff and low setups.”

The new technical regulations are set to be ratified by the World Motor Sport Council on June 28, although teams are not allowed to work on aerodynamic development — with those rules still to be refined — until Jan. 1, 2025. Not allowed to work on it? Where in hell do you think they are going to go to, so they can "Not" work on it?

“Today, the FIA is defining a "hugely exciting" future for the pinnacle of motorsport with the launch of a comprehensive new set of regulations for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 championship and beyond,” FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said. “Following the publication of 2026 power unit regulations two years ago we have taken the opportunity to redefine the chassis regulations to match the energy requirement of the new power units. Collaborating with our partners at Formula 1 and with the assistance of the sport’s 10 teams and all our stakeholders this represents a unique revision that will ensure our premier championship is even more relevant to what is happening in the world....whatever that is....Communist Chinese takeover of Tiawan? Yeah, baby we are right on top of it! Crooked Joe Biden goes totally free after Pardoning himself and the leftist democrats he appointed to the supreme court ALL agree with him?
Yeah, baby we are right on top of it!...and we all pee our pants when new rules come out.....especially when we call the new rules "comprehensive".

“The power unit regulations have already resulted in a record number of PU manufacturers committing to the sport. And now, in tandem with chassis regulations that provide for lighter, more agile cars featuring innovative aerodynamic solutions, we have created a set of regulations designed to not only improve racing but also to make the championship even more attractive to PU manufacturers, OEMs and existing competitors.
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Yep! WE are going to improve racing, but we are not letting real Racers like Mario Andretti race with us and we are not going to have more than 10 whole teams racing when NASCAR has 43 racing at once. (yawn)
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“The key features of the 2026 F1 regulations are advanced sustainability technology and safety. Our aim, together with Formula 1, was to produce a car that was right for the future of the sport’s elite category. We believe we have achieved that goal.” BS BS BS

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali agrees with Ben Sulayem that all key stakeholders have worked well together on the new regulations, that will again see all teams designing new cars under a cost cap. Sure....everybody is going to work at the same dollar amount day after day to be sure that nobody goes over
whatever that amount is....BS! BS! BS! Are they gonna check your pay stub? Are they gonna pay you in Mexican pesos, or an inflated piss poor currency that takes thousands of "lira" to buy one beer? BS! BS! BS!

“These regulations mark a significant moment in the future of our sport as we look forward to a new generation of car and power unit that aims to give our fans closer and exciting racing,” Domenicali said. IF you want close racing, you jerks ought to have more than 10 teams.....you idiots! Fire that man! You are not allowed to disagree!

“The new sustainably fueled hybrid power unit presents a huge opportunity for the global automotive industry — the drop in fuel has the potential to be used by cars around the world and dramatically cut emissions. Its potential is one of the key reasons why we will have a record number of engine suppliers in Formula 1 in 2026, not because they want to make a buck or two
or because they already spent a ton of money on research and development.

“We enter this new regulatory cycle with the sport in the strongest position it has ever been, and I am confident that the work done by the FIA to create these regulations will further strengthen the position of the sport around the world if we can find a way to convince more dumasses that 10 teams is real racing.”

 

Verstappen notes ‘really good progress’ on 2026 regulations but drivers largely split.

Ok. Secret's out. They are battery cars and a bunch of crap.

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emailBy Chris Medland | June 6, 2024 7:56 PM ET

Max Verstappen says the FIA and Formula 1 have made “really good progress” on the 2026 regulations but is among many drivers reserving judgment about such a radical change.

On Thursday the FIA released images of how it expects the 2026 car to look alongside a number of technical regulation updates ahead of their ratification later this month. The new power units — that feature more reliance on batteries and a 100% sustainable fuel — had drawn criticism last year due to a potential power loss when deployment ran out on the straightaways, or if the weather was cold, but Verstappen says there have been gains made since. They pay us to drive those POS's and that's what counts. I'm paid to drive, and I'm famous so it goes in the piggy bank until I'm just another turkey and can quit.

“I’ve seen a lot of fake simulation,” Verstappen said. “It’s not like it suddenly came out now and now we start developing, it’s something that has been around and fine-tuned of course until they run out of juice and then people think that you don't know how to drive. And I have to say from the first time I saw it to the latest updates that I’ve seen, I think they made really good progress on how the engine is working with the chassis and the relationship on the straights and stuff.

“Some tracks I think will be better than others, naturally, when you are more battery power limited, but that’s something that we have to deal with and keep our mouth shut. I may sneak an extra battery into my driving suit like I used to do with a nitrous bottle years ago.”

It's a battery car POS no matter how much they want to lie about it but we get cash to drive 'em so we will. Crap!