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F1 has revealed the new vocabulary that will be used to explain the advanced features of its upcoming 2026 rulebook.

The sport is embarking on what is arguably the biggest rules overhaul in its competitive history next season, featuring new chassis and engine rules and the mandatory use of eco-friendly fuels.

The revised engines, which retain the hybrid V6 layout, boast a significantly increased energy storage, necessitating significant developments in the cars' aerodynamics.

Over a race distance, competitors will strategically manage ERS energy – sometimes even qualifying laps – to achieve the optimal result.

Extensive fan consultation were carried out with a wide range of fans, including long-time followers and newcomers, to determine which terms would aid comprehension of the main elements of the upcoming rules.

The primary aim was to present a set of intricate technical aspects of the sport as accessible as possible for the broadest viewership.

Consequently, older technical labels for specific components – such as "alphabetical mode names" for the active aerodynamics – have been abandoned in preference for intuitive labels that directly explain the primary purpose of the innovation.

What's the New Technology?

According to rule-makers that racers will have more power to determine tactics regarding energy deployment, harvesting, and conservation.

The new regulations feature a set of functions that will be clearly indicated on broadcast screens to enhance the audience's understanding of the on-track action.

• Overtake Mode: This takes over from the current DRS. It provides a burst of extra electrical energy available when a driver is within one second the leading car to execute an overtake.
• Power Mode: This is a manual battery discharge from the energy recovery system that can be utilized during offensive or defensive moves. It grants the pilot full engine and battery energy at the click of a switch.

Both of these crucial modes will have to be managed carefully, as the total energy is restricted.

• Active Aero: Both the car's wings move automatically – flattening on the high-speed sections for minimal air resistance and increased velocity, and sealing in the turns for maximum downforce.
• Recharge: Cars can replenish their battery with regenerative braking, or during coasting at the conclusion of a straight or in corners where only limited engine output is required.

Car Design Evolution

The next-generation machines will be more compact and lighter relative to current models, with a wheelbase shortened by 200mm to 3,400mm, overall width narrowed by 100mm – down to 1,900mm – and the minimum weight reduced by 30kg.

Overall downforce is expected to drop by approximately fifteen to thirty percent, although squads will inevitably claw this back as they optimize their packages.

Drag has been slashed by 40%. The vehicles will employ moveable wing elements – front and rear wings will adjust on the straight sections to improve speed and increase straightline speed and click back into place for optimal grip in corners.

Tyres will retain 18-inch rims, but the tyres themselves will be slimmer, by a quarter-centimetre on the front and three centimetres on the rear.

Power Unit Revolution

The revised hybrid units will have an approximate 50-50 split in power produced by the petrol engine and the electrical system, increasing from about 20% electrical in the current formula.

The hybrid system is made less complex through the deletion of the Motor Generator Unit – Heat, the complicated and costly device that recovered energy from the turbocharger.

Every car on the grid will be obliged to compete on carbon-neutral fuel, created from organic sources or synthetic industrial processes.