Adrian Newey claims 2026 F1 regulations will make cars ‘a lot slower’

Formula 1 cars are designed according to sporting regulations. The 2022 ruleset reintroduced ground-effect in the sport and ensured that the cars could become faster than previous generations. However, with the new regulations in 2026, the sport seems to be heading in a different direction. Red Bull Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey believes the next major rule change will slow the cars.

Recently, the 64-year-old claimed that the current ground-effect F1 cars might stay the fastest in the sport for some time. Newey cited the talks surrounding the 2026 ruleset as the reason. Adrian was confident that as things stand, the 2026 regulations will make the cars significantly slower than they are currently. He said, “The 2026 rules as proposed at the moment, the cars will be a lot slower”.

Recently, regulations have focused on providing better racing rather than sheer speed. Subsequently, it is not surprising that the stakeholders will agree to have slower cars if it allows for closer racing and more overtaking. There has been some disappointment regarding the 2023 season with Red Bull’s massive lead over its rivals. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali believes the pecking order will get closer in the coming seasons.

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Adrian Newey highlights the possibilities of unregulated F1 cars

Regulations have always been a part of Formula 1 to provide a fair playing field while also accounting for safety. Adrian Newey reckoned that F1 cars would be drastically different if they were not bounded by regulations. The 64-year-old believed that the cars would be nothing short of rocketships if they could design unrestricted cars at the pinnacle of motorsport.

However, this is not possible. Newey himself was aware of the major problem with this scenario, and that is safety. Safety is a priority in F1, and the FIA has always tried to emphasize safety via the sporting code, such as the introduction of the halo safety device. Subsequently, the 64-year-old believed that without regulations safety would become a severe issue for the sport.

Thus, Adrian Newey has shed light on the current discussions for the 2026 F1 rules. The FIA and the teams are potentially looking to slow down the cars perhaps to allow for closer racing and more safety. However, fans will have to take Newey’s word till F1 finally discloses the details of the next big regulation change sometime in the future.

In case you missed it:

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