Overview
- Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin cautioned that the 2026 rules contain aerodynamic traps and predicted some teams will be disappointed by their first attempts.
- Mercedes confirmed it will not divert resources back to late‑2025 upgrades despite a fight for second in the Constructors’ standings, holding roughly a 32‑point buffer over Red Bull with three rounds remaining.
- Shovlin expects porpoising to be largely removed by the new, flatter floor geometry that moves the cars closer to pre‑2022 behavior.
- The 2026 formula pairs roughly 50/50 electrical and combustion power with active aerodynamics and a driver override feature, tightening energy windows and turning harvesting and deployment into key racecraft tools.
- Design leaders, including Haas’s Andrea De Zordo, voiced uncertainty about matching wing levels to battery use and are preparing option‑based early update plans because real answers will only emerge on track.