The Last Driver to Ever Use DRS: Kimi Antonelli
Kimi Antonelli was just 4 when Jenson Button pressed the DRS *button* for the first time in 2011.
Yesterday, he became the last driver ever to use it!
He activated it in the final DRS zone of the final lap, hitting 330 km/h (but still couldn’t pass TSU).
Goodbye, DRS! 🫡
Kimi Antonelli was just 4 when Jenson Button pressed the DRS *button* for the first time in 2011.
Yesterday, he became the last driver ever to use it!
He activated it in the final DRS zone of the final lap, hitting 330 km/h (but still couldn’t pass TSU).
Goodbye, DRS! 🫡
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This was the first F1 season ever where two drivers won 3 races in a row but didn’t win the WDC! 💡
🟠 PIA: Bahrain / Saudi Arabia / Miami (Season start).
🔵 VER: Las Vegas / Qatar/ Abu Dhabi (Season end).
🟠 NOR never won 3 straight, but delivered strong form all year.
Some factors making this possible:
- 24 races -> the impact of a single race gets diluted by the other 23; winning 3 in a row does not give you an unrecoverable advantage.
- High reliability -> strong drivers/cars still get many points on average even when not winning a race.
[Idea/Image: u/ZeroStormblessed on Reddit]
🟠 PIA: Bahrain / Saudi Arabia / Miami (Season start).
🔵 VER: Las Vegas / Qatar/ Abu Dhabi (Season end).
🟠 NOR never won 3 straight, but delivered strong form all year.
Some factors making this possible:
- 24 races -> the impact of a single race gets diluted by the other 23; winning 3 in a row does not give you an unrecoverable advantage.
- High reliability -> strong drivers/cars still get many points on average even when not winning a race.
[Idea/Image: u/ZeroStormblessed on Reddit]
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💡Some wild stats if you split the season into three 8-race chunks:
- Worst: 🟠 PIA at season end (86 pts);
- Best: 🔵 VER at season end (191 pts, 23.9 pts/race)!
🟠 NOR was never the best - but his worst (130 pts) still easily beat VER’s worst (94) and PIA’s (86)!
Via @JMP_software
- Worst: 🟠 PIA at season end (86 pts);
- Best: 🔵 VER at season end (191 pts, 23.9 pts/race)!
🟠 NOR was never the best - but his worst (130 pts) still easily beat VER’s worst (94) and PIA’s (86)!
Via @JMP_software
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Electric energy management will be critical next season, as some F1 tracks will be real headaches!
Look at this 👇
🪫Saudi Arabia: time spent braking (7.6%) is less than ONE TENTH of that passed full-throttle (76.1%). Little harvesting, long deployment → severe clipping.
🪫Monza: on/off throttle (<10% partial throttle) → similar.
🔋Average power available will be much higher in Monaco: >20% time spent braking (harvesting opportunities), >28% in partial throttle (can harvest too and use the ICE for power), just 44% full-throttle (where the energy is deployed).
Think about this:
We've gone from the '80s 1.5L turbo engines, which had more average peak power in Monza than in Monaco (where it was detuned for drivability), to the opposite! (Power deployment to be managed in Monza, full power available in Monaco).
Look at this 👇
🪫Saudi Arabia: time spent braking (7.6%) is less than ONE TENTH of that passed full-throttle (76.1%). Little harvesting, long deployment → severe clipping.
🪫Monza: on/off throttle (<10% partial throttle) → similar.
🔋Average power available will be much higher in Monaco: >20% time spent braking (harvesting opportunities), >28% in partial throttle (can harvest too and use the ICE for power), just 44% full-throttle (where the energy is deployed).
Think about this:
We've gone from the '80s 1.5L turbo engines, which had more average peak power in Monza than in Monaco (where it was detuned for drivability), to the opposite! (Power deployment to be managed in Monza, full power available in Monaco).
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Confused about the 2026 engine & aero rules? 🤔
Can't miss my simulation-driven breakdown!💡
(And discover why the power drop off prevents them from exceeding 400 km/h!)
⬛️ Internal Combustion Engine (ICE): 620 kW ('25) → 400 kW ('26)
🟦 ERS: 120 kW ('25) → 350 kW ('26)
However, ERS power drops off from 290 km/h, reaching 0 kW at 345 km/h.
Drivers within 1s can use 'Overtake' (🟦dashed line) to keep max ERS until 340 km/h, and some power up to 355 km/h. Still ICE-only above that.
Engine power must overcome 🟥Drag, which drops on straights as wings open (dashed line). The top speed (Engine power = Drag power) I've computed (~359 km/h) would NOT be impacted by Overtake mode... as the ERS power is 0kW above 355km/h anyway!
Can't miss my simulation-driven breakdown!💡
(And discover why the power drop off prevents them from exceeding 400 km/h!)
⬛️ Internal Combustion Engine (ICE): 620 kW ('25) → 400 kW ('26)
🟦 ERS: 120 kW ('25) → 350 kW ('26)
However, ERS power drops off from 290 km/h, reaching 0 kW at 345 km/h.
Drivers within 1s can use 'Overtake' (🟦dashed line) to keep max ERS until 340 km/h, and some power up to 355 km/h. Still ICE-only above that.
Engine power must overcome 🟥Drag, which drops on straights as wings open (dashed line). The top speed (Engine power = Drag power) I've computed (~359 km/h) would NOT be impacted by Overtake mode... as the ERS power is 0kW above 355km/h anyway!
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Formula Data Analysis
Confused about the 2026 engine & aero rules? 🤔 Can't miss my simulation-driven breakdown!💡 (And discover why the power drop off prevents them from exceeding 400 km/h!) ⬛️ Internal Combustion Engine (ICE): 620 kW ('25) → 400 kW ('26) 🟦 ERS: 120 kW ('25) →…
The top speed computed (Engine power = Drag power) is ~359 km/h, and Overtake doesn’t change it (0 kW above ~355 km/h).
Final (and wild) stat: with drag at ~half today's level, ICE's 400 kW (545 hp) is enough for ~360 km/h.
With unlimited ERS (400+350 kW)? They’d hit ~440 km/h!
Aero data used:
Rho: 1.225 kgm-3 (air density)
CdA: 0.77 m2 (Closed) vs 0.66 m2 (Open wings)
Kudos to @brakeboosted for giving me this idea and suggesting some very reasonable CdA values!
Final (and wild) stat: with drag at ~half today's level, ICE's 400 kW (545 hp) is enough for ~360 km/h.
With unlimited ERS (400+350 kW)? They’d hit ~440 km/h!
Aero data used:
Rho: 1.225 kgm-3 (air density)
CdA: 0.77 m2 (Closed) vs 0.66 m2 (Open wings)
Kudos to @brakeboosted for giving me this idea and suggesting some very reasonable CdA values!
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We wish you all a Happy New Year and a Great 2026 F1 Season!
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Ever seen a 2026 F1 car accelerate?
Now you can, through this simulation!🏎
⬛️ Normal ERS vs 🟥 Overtake Mode
— Normal Aero vs -- Active Aero
Key points:
- Cars will accelerate QUICKER than in '25 until 290km/h (same power, 30kg less, less drag).
- Beyond that, acceleration drops sharply as ERS power fades. When chasing another car, Overtake keeps full ERS power up to 337.5 km/h.
- In '25, Active Aero's (DRS) impact grew with speed. Same in '26, AS LONG ASA.
full ERS power is available. With overtake mode and open wings, '26 cars will accelerate super-quickly until 337.5km/h, then effectively 'hit a wall' (as ERS power drops sharply).
Data:
m: 770kg;
Power: 400 kW (ICE) + 350 kW (ERS);
Rho: 1.225 kgm-3 (air density);
CdA: 0.77 m2 (Closed) vs 0.66 m2 (Open wings).
Now you can, through this simulation!🏎
⬛️ Normal ERS vs 🟥 Overtake Mode
— Normal Aero vs -- Active Aero
Key points:
- Cars will accelerate QUICKER than in '25 until 290km/h (same power, 30kg less, less drag).
- Beyond that, acceleration drops sharply as ERS power fades. When chasing another car, Overtake keeps full ERS power up to 337.5 km/h.
- In '25, Active Aero's (DRS) impact grew with speed. Same in '26, AS LONG ASA.
full ERS power is available. With overtake mode and open wings, '26 cars will accelerate super-quickly until 337.5km/h, then effectively 'hit a wall' (as ERS power drops sharply).
Data:
m: 770kg;
Power: 400 kW (ICE) + 350 kW (ERS);
Rho: 1.225 kgm-3 (air density);
CdA: 0.77 m2 (Closed) vs 0.66 m2 (Open wings).
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Formula Data Analysis
Ever seen a 2026 F1 car accelerate? Now you can, through this simulation!🏎 ⬛️ Normal ERS vs 🟥 Overtake Mode — Normal Aero vs -- Active Aero Key points: - Cars will accelerate QUICKER than in '25 until 290km/h (same power, 30kg less, less drag). - Beyond…
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Formula Data Analysis
Confused about the 2026 engine & aero rules? 🤔
Can't miss my simulation-driven breakdown!💡
(And discover why the power drop off prevents them from exceeding 400 km/h!)
⬛️ Internal Combustion Engine (ICE): 620 kW ('25) → 400 kW ('26)
🟦 ERS: 120 kW ('25) →…
Can't miss my simulation-driven breakdown!💡
(And discover why the power drop off prevents them from exceeding 400 km/h!)
⬛️ Internal Combustion Engine (ICE): 620 kW ('25) → 400 kW ('26)
🟦 ERS: 120 kW ('25) →…
👍4❤3
Circuits Currently Covered in Snow [Sources: https://x.com/F1BigData; https://x.com/autosport; https://x.com/KrisVanD2; https://x.com/nuerburgring; https://x.com/MV33Racing ]
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Mercedes' (and RBR's?) "compression ratio trick" could be worth 4 tenths in Monza, and even more in the opening laps (~21s over a race: the difference between P2 and P6 this year)!
Let’s look at the numbers!
16:1 → mandated ’26 compression ratio (cold engine check)
18:1 → ’25 level (~ upper knock limit)
Reaching 18:1 in ’26 via thermal expansion would yield ~10 kW (~13 hp), requiring only a ~0.5 mm geometric change.
Currently, +13hp ICE power is worth ~0.26s/lap in Monza. But '26 ICEs will be far less powerful (~540hp vs ~840hp), so the same gain matters much more, since the ICE feeds the battery!
Let’s look at the numbers!
16:1 → mandated ’26 compression ratio (cold engine check)
18:1 → ’25 level (~ upper knock limit)
Reaching 18:1 in ’26 via thermal expansion would yield ~10 kW (~13 hp), requiring only a ~0.5 mm geometric change.
Currently, +13hp ICE power is worth ~0.26s/lap in Monza. But '26 ICEs will be far less powerful (~540hp vs ~840hp), so the same gain matters much more, since the ICE feeds the battery!
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Formula Data Analysis
Mercedes' (and RBR's?) "compression ratio trick" could be worth 4 tenths in Monza, and even more in the opening laps (~21s over a race: the difference between P2 and P6 this year)! Let’s look at the numbers! 16:1 → mandated ’26 compression ratio (cold engine…
Scaling the effect:
0.26 / 540 × 840 ≈ 0.4 s/lap
That means:
- More ICE power;
- More ERS power;
- Lighter car at race start (Higher thermal efficiency with fixed fuel flow → Better fuel economy → Less fuel load).
This mirrors the early ('14) V6 era, when Mercedes NEVER ran full power, and still dominated with a detuned engine!
Such a fundamental design advantage will be hard to copy before '27. That said, this is Mercedes' best-case scenario: its real impact might be smaller.
What are your expectations? 🤔
0.26 / 540 × 840 ≈ 0.4 s/lap
That means:
- More ICE power;
- More ERS power;
- Lighter car at race start (Higher thermal efficiency with fixed fuel flow → Better fuel economy → Less fuel load).
This mirrors the early ('14) V6 era, when Mercedes NEVER ran full power, and still dominated with a detuned engine!
Such a fundamental design advantage will be hard to copy before '27. That said, this is Mercedes' best-case scenario: its real impact might be smaller.
What are your expectations? 🤔
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