The FIA and the teams have worked jointly on modifications to the Technical Regulations for 2026, and the changes made recently should make it possible to bring more performance (read here) but also and above all more freedom and variety in the concepts of the single-seaters .
Andrea Stella, the director of McLaren F1, explained this in Brazil.
“With the recent change in the geometry of the car, especially from an aerodynamic point of view, two main things have been achieved, as you said. On the one hand, a much higher level of downforce and on the other hand, greater freedom” Stella said.
“We welcome both. We welcome the greater freedom. I think it will give teams the opportunity to use their knowledge and their methodologies.”
“The knowledge accumulated over the years, even with different regulations, is a way to create some differentiation. So we have always defended this type of approach and we welcome this greater freedom.”
Williams boss James Vowles confirmed that the cars would look different visually thanks to the changes, and he praised the FIA's role in this: “Well said by Andrea, as always. It's basically true.”
“To answer your question, we now have more freedom, which allows us to see the direction we are going. So there are more flow control devices in place, which results in less flow. support, but differentiation between the teams.”
“What's really positive too is that there are still some small areas of improvement around the diffuser. But again, the great thing is that the teams and the FIA are working together hand to improve this point because every time we make a change like this, it has consequences.
“But I think what you're going to see now is that instead of all the teams working on the same few millimeters, there will be different concepts. Personally, I think that's a good thing for the sport.”
