Formula 1 is deploying new jargon for 2026

While not quite a separate dialect, Formula 1-speak can be heavy on the jargon at times. They say “box” instead of pit, “power unit” to describe the engine and hybrid system, and that’s before we get into all the aerodynamics-related expressions like “outwash” and “dirty air.” Next year is a big technical shakeup for the sport, and it seems we’re getting some new terminology to go with it. So forget your DRS and get ready to talk about Boost mode instead. The F1 car of 2026 will be slightly narrower and slightly lighter than the machines that raced for the last time earlier this month . But not by a huge amount: minimum weight is decreased by 30 kg to 724 kg, the wheelbase is 200 mm shorter at 3,400 mm, and the car’s underfloor is 150 mm narrower than before. The front wing is 100 mm narrower and has just two elements to it, although for the first time in F1 history, this is now an active wing, which works in conjunction with the three-element active rear wing. Active rear wings have been a thing in F1 since the introduction of DRS-the drag reduction system-in 2011, but now there’s a philosophical change to how they’ll work. Straight mode, Corner mode With DRS, a driver could activate it to reduce their car’s drag if they were within a second of a car in front and at one of the marked DRS zones on track. From next year, the cars will have Straight Mode, which lowers both front and rear wings to decrease drag-this will be allowed for any drive on any of the designated straights, regardless of whether they’re close to another car or not. And there’s corner mode, where the wings are in their raised position, generating downforce and making the cars corner faster. Those names are better than X-mode and Z-mode, which is what they were being called last year.

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