Formula One’s radical new era: leaner and cleaner, sure; but meaner?

‘What we know is a drop, what we don’t know is an ocean’. It is one of the most profound sayings, delineating the limits of human knowledge. While it might be reductive to use it in the context of a professional sport where cars go around a circuit for 90 minutes, it perfectly encapsulates Formula One in 2026.

The 77th running of motor-racing’s most prestigious championship features a radical overhaul of technical regulations on both the engine and chassis fronts. Although the first three pre-season tests — one in Barcelona and two in Bahrain — have offered a glimpse of what to expect, for the first time in recent memory, everyone, from teams to fans, is entering the season with several unanswered questions.