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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Formula Data Analysis
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…
Some of the sources I started from come from this article:
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/everything-we-learned-about-impact-of-f1-2026s-loophole-controversy/
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/everything-we-learned-about-impact-of-f1-2026s-loophole-controversy/
The Race
No hope for rivals until 2027? The impact of F1's loophole controversy
What we've learned about the impact of F1 2026's big engine loophole controversy, why it's so complicated and what happens next
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I simulated a 🟥 2026 F1 car’s acceleration against 🟦 VER’s real Monza pole telemetry, and the result was shocking!
Narrower track + active aero slash drag, so 2026 cars accelerate much faster than ’25 cars.
ERS power will drop above 290 km/h, yet the drag reduction more than offsets the lower ICE power!
And that's without 'ERS Override': with that, maximum power will be retained until 337km/h!
After opening the DRS, the 2025 car did start closing the gap... but was still slower by the end of Monza's long straight!
I assumed a conservative 90% transmission efficiency for '26 and picked Monza to minimise ’25 drag… yet the acceleration gap stayed massive!
2026 cars will be ROCKETS! 🚀
Narrower track + active aero slash drag, so 2026 cars accelerate much faster than ’25 cars.
ERS power will drop above 290 km/h, yet the drag reduction more than offsets the lower ICE power!
And that's without 'ERS Override': with that, maximum power will be retained until 337km/h!
After opening the DRS, the 2025 car did start closing the gap... but was still slower by the end of Monza's long straight!
I assumed a conservative 90% transmission efficiency for '26 and picked Monza to minimise ’25 drag… yet the acceleration gap stayed massive!
2026 cars will be ROCKETS! 🚀
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