Overview

• The 2026 regulations overhaul chassis, aerodynamics and power units, lifting electrical output to about 50% and replacing DRS with an energy override push‑to‑pass that activates above roughly 280 km/h.
• Williams principal James Vowles predicts overtaking will shift toward energy and system management, with fewer classic slipstream passes on straights such as Spa’s Kemmel.
• Vowles says drivers are learning to optimize the new package, noting growing enthusiasm as they grasp battery harvesting in braking and full deployment on straights.
• Aston Martin’s Andy Cowell expresses little concern about 2014‑style spreads, expecting early differences in aero and power units to balance out and gaps to close through development.
• Alpine’s Steve Nielsen urges longer, stable rules cycles after an abbreviated 2022–2025 period, as talks already circle a post‑2026 powertrain concept that could arrive around 2030 or earlier.