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2026 Formula One Season Thread
- Thread starter The-Real-Deal82
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TheIntruder
macrumors 68020
On my bucket list is to do a car tour of Europe, visiting all the auto museums I can. Blighty already has more than its fair share, but another to add to the list.
Ideally, if I won the lottery, that would be in conjunction with spending the entire summer on the continent, while also taking in Le Mans, Monaco, Spa and Goodwood.
CWallace
macrumors G5
Reducing the size of the energy storage to 6MJ and increasing the super clipping recovery rate to the full 350kW means that the store can be fully recovered in 17 seconds if I am using the correct equation in Google. This is a significant decrease to the 36 seconds it takes to recover 9MJ at 250kW. I expect there will still need to be some LICO, but overall, the cars should be able to spend more of the lap driving and not re-charging.
And lowering the overall discharge rate will mean slower lap times, but it will mean the cars can always be on the attack in qualifying so at least the spectacle will look better, even if the times do not.
I will be interested to see how ICE changes integrate with AUDO updates for the Ferrari, Audi and Honda engines. I am sure Mercedes and RBFPT will want to ensure that those three are not able to use AUDO to give them an edge with any changes to the current ICE homologation.
Active aero anywhere will help lap times, but it will also likely impact tire wear due to sliding in the corners. For tire-eaters like the RB26, this could make a bad situation worse.
Overall, we're probably looking at around a two-second increase in lap times, but it will still be a good bit lower than what the Formula Two cars would be circulating around at.
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Glideslope
macrumors G3
I’m most interested in the AUDO updates as well. I agree with your analysis. I’d like to see a 70/30 ICE/MGU split for 2027. I think the active aero changes could be interesting to watch. Different activation zones for different teams based on their setups. It might makes things a little more interesting.
A complete mess that I can see Toto trying his best to stop from being changed... that is what I make of it all. The FIA should be utterly embarrassed of themselves for the mess they have all made. Plenty of people and drivers warned them but they carried on regardless with the changes.
The cars are nearly at F2 times as it is, they say with these changes they will actually be matching F2 lap times, so what's the point then? What a mess.
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So basically, the worst driver in F2 is the same as the best driver in F1, in terms of car performance? And that is not a problem for the wise farts ruining F1?? I would be very ashamed of my employer if this is in case correct??
CWallace
macrumors G5
Per the German publication Auto Motor und Sport, paddock gossip is rising again that the 2031 engine regulations will center around a 2.4 liter turbo V8 running on carbon-neutral fuel, but now with zero electrification versus the earlier proposal to bring KERS back to provide around 10% of the power.
I still do not see how they keep Audi and Honda in the sport if they return to pure ICE power. Also not sure if GM would even bother building such a PU or just keep Cadillac as a Ferrari customer team. And would Toyota be interested in making such a PU, either as a partner with Haas or as their eventual owner?
I still do not see how they keep Audi and Honda in the sport if they return to pure ICE power. Also not sure if GM would even bother building such a PU or just keep Cadillac as a Ferrari customer team. And would Toyota be interested in making such a PU, either as a partner with Haas or as their eventual owner?
Apple fanboy
macrumors Ivy Bridge
By 2031 most road cars will be 100% electric or hybrid. Especially outside the US which is a bit behind the curve with its half price petrol.
So I expect the battery in some guise will be here to stay at some level.
Glideslope
macrumors G3
I don't see the total removal of KERS. I'd be ok with KERS up to 30%. I agree they would loose manufactures if they completely abandon KERS.
We are more than a little behind the curve over here. It’s very regional as well. There are still vast areas without charging stations. The last 2 years have been tough with all the federal funding being pulled. I simply can't go from a PHEV to an EV until there are significantly more stations. HEV still seem to be the electrified vehicle of choice over here outside of a major metropolitan area.
Edit: Typo
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Herdfan
macrumors 68000
We are for sure. I know Ford is looking at EREV's as the future. A small ICE engine will be available to power the motors when the battery is drained. The battery will be smaller than an EV, but larger than a PHEV. All power will come from the electric motors with no direct ICE>Drivetrain connection.
Apple fanboy
macrumors Ivy Bridge
Sounds like a 15 year old BMW i3 with range extender to me.
Glideslope
macrumors G3
Ford, Hyundai, Kia, seem to be the most in on EREV. I am interested to see how they perform in 2027. I need to dig deeper into the operational specs though.
Glideslope
macrumors G3
Looks like Gianpiero Lambiase will join McLaren in 2028 as head of Race Engineering freeing up Stella to focus more on his TP role.
This should add to speculation………
Edit: Clarification
This should add to speculation………
Edit: Clarification
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CWallace
macrumors G5
Apple fanboy
macrumors Ivy Bridge
Rats and sinking ship comes to mind.
Once Max leaves/retires I can see RBR being a shadow of their former self.
Every dog has its day. I’m still waiting on mine!
CWallace
macrumors G5
Or just new and better opportunities.
There are now (unsubstantiated) rumors that this could become a multi-team swap where Lambiase replaces Stella and Stella returns to Ferrari to replace Vasseur.
Apple fanboy
macrumors Ivy Bridge
My industry is like that. People leave one company and turn up at another pretty often.
It’s sometimes hard to keep track.
Glideslope
macrumors G3
CWallace
macrumors G5
The extension signed last July was "multiple years", so my guess it runs through 2028 at a minimum.
Glideslope
macrumors G3
pachyderm
macrumors G5
From an article on the OS:
During his 64-race career, Teo Fabi secured pole position on three occasions, the first being at the Nurburgring in 1985 whilst driving for Toleman. Two more followed in Austria and Italy during the following season, by which point the squad was running under the guise of Benetton.
Unfortunately for the Italian driver, he never managed to retain P1 by the end of the first tour. While Fabi did take the lead from team mate Gerhard Berger on Lap 17 of the Austrian Grand Prix, his engine failed before he could cross the start/finish line, meaning that he had not officially led the lap.
Despite his bad luck when starting from pole, Fabi still recorded two podium finishes during his stint in F1, as well as finishing in the points a total of nine times.
Most pole positions without ever leading a lap – Teo Fabi
All of the drivers mentioned above have enjoyed pole positions and victories in Formula 1 – but one name has found an unusual place in history as the only pilot to start from P1 on the grid without ever leading a lap.During his 64-race career, Teo Fabi secured pole position on three occasions, the first being at the Nurburgring in 1985 whilst driving for Toleman. Two more followed in Austria and Italy during the following season, by which point the squad was running under the guise of Benetton.
Unfortunately for the Italian driver, he never managed to retain P1 by the end of the first tour. While Fabi did take the lead from team mate Gerhard Berger on Lap 17 of the Austrian Grand Prix, his engine failed before he could cross the start/finish line, meaning that he had not officially led the lap.
Despite his bad luck when starting from pole, Fabi still recorded two podium finishes during his stint in F1, as well as finishing in the points a total of nine times.
pachyderm
macrumors G5
Another one:
The former duo raced in the sport during very different eras, with Graham Hill tragically losing his life in a plane crash several years before son Damon would start his own F1 journey.
But there were some interesting parallels between the two, including the fact that both had a stint with the Brabham team in their respective careers.
On his second and final appearance for the squad at the 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix, Damon sported the same helmet design as his father as he ended the race in 11th place – the exact same position that Graham had finished in during his own last race for Brabham 20 years earlier at Watkins Glen.
one of my favorite F1 cars...
Identical finish for father and son in final race for same team – Graham and Damon Hill
While a number of father and son duos have competed in Formula 1 over the years, only two pairings have both become World Champions – that being Graham and Damon Hill, and Keke and Nico Rosberg.The former duo raced in the sport during very different eras, with Graham Hill tragically losing his life in a plane crash several years before son Damon would start his own F1 journey.
But there were some interesting parallels between the two, including the fact that both had a stint with the Brabham team in their respective careers.
On his second and final appearance for the squad at the 1992 Hungarian Grand Prix, Damon sported the same helmet design as his father as he ended the race in 11th place – the exact same position that Graham had finished in during his own last race for Brabham 20 years earlier at Watkins Glen.
one of my favorite F1 cars...
pachyderm
macrumors G5
Last one plus a link to the article:
The 1997 campaign is perhaps best remembered for the World Championship battle that played out between Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher and Williams’ Jacques Villeneuve, a duel that ended in controversial style when Schumacher was disqualified from the standings following a collision with Villeneuve at the final in Jerez.
However, an intriguing fact from that season is that Schumacher and Villeneuve never actually stood on the podium together across a 17-round campaign, despite the former claiming five wins and the latter taking seven.
There has been only one other instance of the championship’s lead two protagonists not featuring on a rostrum together, which occurred back in 1950 when Nino Farina headed Juan Manuel Fangio in a season that saw them contest six races.
www.formula1.com
Top two championship contenders never sharing a podium – 1997
We have already visited an unusual record from the 1997 season, where three drivers set an equal pole-worthy lap time – and now we conclude with another strange statistic from that year.The 1997 campaign is perhaps best remembered for the World Championship battle that played out between Ferrari’s Michael Schumacher and Williams’ Jacques Villeneuve, a duel that ended in controversial style when Schumacher was disqualified from the standings following a collision with Villeneuve at the final in Jerez.
However, an intriguing fact from that season is that Schumacher and Villeneuve never actually stood on the podium together across a 17-round campaign, despite the former claiming five wins and the latter taking seven.
There has been only one other instance of the championship’s lead two protagonists not featuring on a rostrum together, which occurred back in 1950 when Nino Farina headed Juan Manuel Fangio in a season that saw them contest six races.
12 of F1's weirdest and most amazing records
F1.com takes a closer look at some of the most incredible – and unusual – records from across the sport's history.
CWallace
macrumors G5
So there are reports that both Max and Jos wished GP well with his move to McLaren, which has half of the media feeling Max will be driving for McLaren before 2028 and the other half believing he will be retiring before then so GP is moving to a better opportunity for him than staying at Red Bull as the Austrians purge the team of everyone who Horner and Marko hired.
ivanwi11iams
macrumors 601
And from my understanding, it will be months before GP can officially move, right?
A gardening leave of sorts will be due...