Formula 1 single-seaters will only be slightly faster than Formula 2 cars under new rules proposed for 2026, some teams have warned.
The FIA outlined its plans for the next major overhaul of its F1 technical rules on Thursday. Under his proposal, 2026 cars will be smaller than current models and produce significantly less downforce.
The F1 cars were 11 seconds faster than the F2 cars at Monaco and 12 seconds faster at Imola.
But Williams team principal James Vowles warned that gap could be reduced if the new rules were introduced in their current form.
“This is indeed what we observed in simulation, yes,” he confirms.
“It is imperative that we remain the leading series in motorsport. That is how I see us. We are the pinnacle of this field. Therefore, we must ensure that we maintain the performance and speed that we have.”
“And at the moment there is a fundamental mismatch. The difference in performance with an F2 could be as little as a few seconds. And it’s starting to get a little tight, especially when compared to other series in the world like IndyCar or Super Formula.”
“But these are draft regulations. And this week, in fact, there were two changes that significantly reduced support, which surprised us!”
“I’m confident we’ll come to a better solution in this regard. It’s not that we’re that far away. There’s just a little more work to do.”
For McLaren F1, Andrea Stella confirms.
“I would say that at the moment, given the current state of the cars in the draft version of the regulations – and we have to say “draft”, because as they say, there is a lot of work to be done – the “The cars are not fast enough in the corners and too fast in the straights, so we have to rebalance these two aspects.”
