The FIA World Motor Sport council met this week and made several changes to F1’s regulations. Chief among them, and perhaps the most immediate, is the removal of the “Fastest Lap” point awarded to the driver with the fastest lap who finishes in the top ten during a grand prix.
I am unclear of what, precisely, was the reason but can surmise that it has to do with gaming the system but denying a leader the point with your driver who is out of the top ten to gain the point. Box them late, put on fresh rubber and go for the point even though you are running in P18.
For that reason, F1 teams have exploited the system only to make it go away.
The other things they changed were the 2026 regulations saying:
“A significant update for the regulations set to govern the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship and beyond was presented during the World Council. This includes a reorganisation of the way the regulations are laid out, which will be divided into thematic sections for clarity and consistency. The transition to the new structure will be concluded in the next few months.
The 2026 Technical Regulations (Section C), originally approved in June 2024, were subject to extensive enhancements to the aerodynamic regulations, which have been the subject of a strong collaboration between the FIA, FOM and the Formula 1 teams. This will see a higher performance from the cars, while maintaining management of the wake characteristics to promote close and exciting racing.
The 2026 Sporting Regulations (Section B) have undergone a significant update in order to simplify and modernise their structure. They have introduced measures to regulate the energy management of the Power Units as well as the management of the adjustable aerodynamics, which will involve the deployment of the “straight-line mode” (low drag) and the “cornering mode” (high downforce). In addition, there will be three pre-season tests of three days each for the 2026 season to account for the new power units that will be adopted.
The 2026 Financial Regulations (Section D) have built on the experience gained by the FIA, Formula 1 and the teams since the first introduction of Financial Regulations in 2021. Significant effort has been made to simplify the regulations by changes in the perimeter of exclusions and adjustment methodologies and to strengthen measures available to FIA to monitor compliance to the Financial Regulations. The overall level of the cost cap has remained – in effect – equivalent to the current levels, while the changes to the actual number reflect the changes to exclusion and adjustment perimeter and the effect of cumulative inflation.
Further elements will be submitted to the World Council for approval in the coming months to complete the regulation package for 2026, while refinements to the already approved sections will continue with the collaboration between the FIA, FOM and the Formula 1 teams.”
I’ll let you read between the lines but a few notables are:
- Aero regulations to reduce the wake and improve close racing…we’ve heard tha ton before of course.
- More detail around the moveable aero which you can only imagine is like a pandora’s box of black art and I assume they feel the need to put a very defined fence around this issue to prevent exploitation.
- Tightening of the financial regulation process including an escalator for the impact of inflation and if you’ve bought a loaf of bread or dozen eggs lately, you know what they are talking about.
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