Word on the beat - December 2024
More details of the 2026 F1 regs have appeared
- Red Bull chief strategist Will Courtenay has accepted the role of sporting director at McLaren. He will not be free to join until mid-2026, with Red Bull insisting he’ll see out his contract.
- The anticipated very different aero balance of the 2026 regulation car is giving Pirelli a headache in trying to simulate them with adapted 2024 ‘mule cars’. At a recent Mugello test McLaren was the latest team to try them, following Aston Martin’s run in September at Barcelona. The profile of the narrower tyres is still to be decided.
- The FIA has released updated versions of the 2026 F1 Technical Regulations. The main take-aways are that the front wing has been made more powerful and the size of the diffuser increased from what was originally envisaged. FIA technical delegate Nikolas Tombazis says that simulation suggests that these changes would bring the ’26 cars within 1sec per lap of current cars, rather than an estimated 3sec slower. There has been a tweak in the financial regs to allow for Audi’s greater running costs through being based in Switzerland where salaries are higher than elsewhere in Europe.
- Gabriel Bortoleto (contracted to McLaren), Franco Colapinto (contracted to Williams) and Valtteri Bottas are in contention for the vacant Sauber-Audi seat for next year. Liam Lawson’s strong performance in Austin is making him a candidate to take Sergio Pérez’s place at Red Bull in ’25. Red Bull’s F2 driver Isack Hadjar could take the RB seat.
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