Martin Brundle reveals key concern over F1 2026 regulations after FIA reveal

Martin Brundle has highlighted a key concern he has ahead of the F1 2026 regulations.

The reveal of the F1 2026 chassis and aerodynamic regulations has caused Martin Brundle to sit up and notice a key aspect of the active aero rules.

Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, the FIA announced its intentions with the F1 2026 chassis regulations that have been created to work alongside the planned power unit regulations.

Martin Brundle’s concerns over active aerodynamics

The regulations for the 2026 chassis have had to take the new power unit regulations into account, with the sport moving to increased electrification with a shift in ratio away from the internal combustion engine.

Sticking with a 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 architecture, the move to sustainable fuels and a 50/50 ICE vs. electrical power ratio means the sport is turning to aerodynamic trickery to compensate for lower top speeds and expected lap time loss.

This includes the use of active aerodynamics, in which the front and rear wings will adopt different angles of attack based on the driving conditions at any given moment, ie. reduced drag down the straights, and the downforce levels automatically adjusting while negotiating corners.

While these principals are similar to how the DRS system currently operates, the DRS’ automatic position is that of full downforce – if a failure occurs after the driver activates the DRS, the rear wing returns to the position of full downforce.

The far more complex active aero plans for 2026 thus have Martin Brundle concerned, with the former F1 racer turned Sky broadcaster highlighting his hesitancy in his latest column.

“I’d personally be concerned about significantly moveable front and rear wings,” he wrote, “should they not return to the correct position for a very high-speed corner due to debris, damage, or malfunction.

“Having said that, F1 throttle and brakes are controlled by wire and have been for some time.”

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Weighing in on the proposed rulebook for 2026, Brundle said the question marks he has will be answered once on-track testing begins in earnest at the start of 2026.

“The problem we have for 2026 is that the motor loses the MGU-H from the turbocharger which was very handy at generating electrical energy,” he said.

“The new cars will not have any battery regeneration from the front wheels. And so, especially on circuits that have lots of straights and few big braking zones, it will be hard to generate the required amounts of energy for the significantly bigger battery.

“How that impacts on pure racing remains to be seen, and for those celebrating the imminent demise of the DRS rear wings, be careful what you wish for.

“And knocking 30kgs out of a car that, albeit smaller, will have higher crash protection, active aero, and a bigger battery, will be quite the challenge. We’ll know soon enough; they’ll be on track in just 18 months and the teams by regulation can’t start the aero work until 2025.

“In a nutshell, it’s far more battery power to make it roughly half and half sustainable fuel engine and electric propulsion. With correspondingly less downforce and drag to help the cars be more efficient in the usage of that electrical power, including active aerodynamics with the front and rear wings moving up and down as required on the straights and through the corners.

“I like to be fundamentally positive about these things as they tend to turn out fine in the end once the FIA, F1, and teams combine their talents and mighty resource. F1 has had to evolve over the decades to remain cutting edge and relevant whilst somehow fulfilling its primary role of entertaining people.

“Some are concerned that the cars will be too high on top speeds on the straights, and too slow through the corners in that aero format.”

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