Final renders show what Formula 1 cars will look like in 2026

The FIA has released the final images of what the 2026 cars will look like. The renders show changes to the sidepods and the parts that control airflow around the front wheels. These modifications were not present in the previous versions shown by the federation.

The images arrive one month before teams test the new cars in Barcelona. The tests will be held behind closed doors in January.

The renders also include the Pirelli logos that will be on the tires. The wheels remain 18 inches but are narrower. All teams tested them in Abu Dhabi.

Photo By FIA

The FIA also confirmed the official names that replace the odd terms it had used before. There is no longer a "Manual Override Mode". It's now called Overtake. X-mode and Z-mode are gone. Now they are Straight Mode and Corner Mode.

Nikolas Tombazis explained that they tested all the terms with fan groups to see if they were easy to understand. They wanted simple names because the systems are complicated.

Overtake is the system for passing. It works differently from DRS. When a driver is within one second of the car ahead, they can use extra electrical energy to catch up. The difference from DRS is that it's no longer about opening the rear wing, because everyone will open it on the straights. The advantage comes from having more power.

The leading car will have less power available when it exceeds 290 km/h. The chasing car can use full power up to 337 km/h. That speed difference should help enable overtaking.

Boost and Recharge are for energy management. Boost is when the driver uses the battery to go faster. Recharge is when they recover energy for the battery. Each driver decides where to use the battery during a lap.

Simone Resta from Mercedes said the races are going to be "unpredictable" because drivers will move the wings in many parts of the lap and will manage energy in new ways.

Photo By FIA

Straight Mode opens the front and rear wings on the straights to go faster. All cars will be able to use it on long straights. Corner Mode maintains normal wing settings to have more grip in the corners.

What the renders show

The published images feature the Pirelli logos that will appear on the 2026 tires. It can also be seen that several elements from current cars are no longer present: the small beam under the rear wing is gone, the arches over the front wheels have been removed, and the parts at the end of the rear wing are simpler.

The sidepods have a different shape from what we had seen before. The parts that control airflow around the front wheels are also shown in more detail in these images.

Photo By FIA

These parts are important because they help cars follow each other more closely. Tombazis had explained that the 2022 cars started well but got worse. Initially, they retained 80-85% of their aerodynamic load when running 20 meters behind another car. Now they only retain 70%. The goal for 2026 is to reach 90%.

Teams will see these cars on track for the first time in January in Barcelona, ahead of the season start in Melbourne.