Formula 1 (FIA) — Official Rules

The FIA Formula 1 World Championship is the highest class of single-seater motor racing, governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) under the FIA International Sporting Code (ISC) and the FIA Formula 1 Regulations (Sporting, Technical and Financial). The Championship comprises a Drivers' World Championship and a Constructors' (Teams') World Championship, decided over a season of Grands Prix (Competitions). For 2026 the grid expands to 11 teams and 22 drivers with the entry of Cadillac. Each Competitor may use a maximum of four (4) drivers in Races across a Championship, and any new driver may score points.

A Competition runs over a weekend in one of two formats. A Standard Format Competition has three free practice sessions (FP1, FP2, FP3), one Qualifying session and the Race. An Alternative Format Competition (Sprint weekend) has one free practice session (FP1), Sprint Qualifying, the Sprint, the Race Qualifying session and the Race. For 2026, six (6) Competitions use the Sprint format. The Race is the principal event of every Competition; the Sprint is a shorter, separately scored race.

At a Standard Format Competition there are three free practice sessions - FP1 and FP2 each lasting one (1) hour on the first day (FP2 may be extended to 1.5 hours when extra tyre specifications are tested), and FP3 on the second day. At a Sprint weekend there is only FP1. Practice classification is by each driver's fastest lap. Each Competitor may run additional/young drivers during FP1 and FP2 subject to notice requirements.

Qualifying decides the Race starting grid and is run in three knockout segments. Q1 lasts eighteen (18) minutes; at its end the slowest six (6) cars are eliminated (placed 17th-22nd). After a seven (7) minute break, Q2 lasts fifteen (15) minutes; the slowest six (6) are eliminated (placed 11th-16th). After an eight (8) minute break, Q3 lasts twelve (12) minutes for the remaining ten (10) cars, deciding the top ten grid positions, the fastest on pole. Times within a segment are deleted between segments.

A driver eliminated in Q1 whose best lap exceeds 107% of the fastest Q1 time is considered unclassified and is not automatically permitted to start the Race - unless the track was declared wet by the Race Director. The stewards may nonetheless permit such a driver to start at their discretion (for example on the strength of practice times).

On a Sprint weekend, Sprint Qualifying (SQ1/SQ2/SQ3) sets the Sprint grid using the same knockout principle - SQ1 twelve (12) minutes, slowest six eliminated; SQ2, slowest six eliminated; SQ3 for the final ten. The Sprint distance is the least number of complete laps exceeding 100 km; if one (1) hour elapses before completion the leader is shown the end-of-session signal at the end of the following lap (maximum total Sprint duration 1.5 hours including any suspension). Sprint and Race results are independent.

The Race distance, from the start signal to the end-of-session signal, is the least number of complete laps that exceeds 305 km. For the Monaco Grand Prix the distance is the least number of complete laps exceeding 260 km. If the formation lap(s) start behind the Safety Car, the number of Race laps is reduced by the number of laps run by the Safety Car minus one.

The car placed first is the one covering the scheduled distance in the shortest time, or, where appropriate, leading at the Line at the end of two (2) hours. Should the Race be suspended, the suspension duration is added to the two-hour period up to a maximum total Race duration of three (3) hours; the leader is then shown the end-of-session signal at the end of the lap following the lap in which that combined period ended (without exceeding the scheduled laps).

All cars are classified by the number of complete laps covered, and for those on the same lap, by the order in which they crossed the Line. A car that has covered less than 90% of the number of laps covered by the winner (rounded down) is not classified. A car that stops and cannot resume is recorded as DNF (Did Not Finish); DNS denotes a car that did not start, and DSQ a disqualified car. The result becomes final after publication, subject to amendments under the ISC and these Regulations.

Points are awarded to the top ten finishers of each Race on the scale 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1 (1st = 25 points down to 10th = 1 point). Finishers 11th and below score nothing. Points count toward both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships. A driver who completes fewer than 90% of the winner's laps is not classified and scores no points (see Article 3.3).

The Sprint awards points to the top eight finishers on the scale 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 (1st = 8 points down to 8th = 1 point). Sprint points are added to a driver's and team's Championship totals separately from Race points.

The fastest lap of the Race is recorded and recognised but - following the change introduced from 2025 and retained for 2026 - carries no Championship point. Thus the maximum a driver can score at a Grand Prix is 25 points (Race) plus 8 points (Sprint, where applicable). If two or more drivers or teams finish a Championship level on points, the tie is resolved by the better individual results (number of first places, then second places, and so on); the FIA may nominate a further tiebreak if needed.

For 2026 the cars are smaller and lighter. The minimum weight is 768 kg (driver included, without fuel) - a reduction of 32 kg from the 2025 figure of 800 kg. The maximum wheelbase is shortened by 200 mm to 3400 mm and the bodywork width reduced by 100 mm to 1900 mm. Cars run on 18-inch Pirelli tyres that are slightly narrower than in 2025. Heat- and rain-hazard mass increases may apply when those hazards are declared.

The 2026 cars move away from the deep ground-effect tunnels of the previous era toward flatter floors with extended diffusers and a higher ride height requirement. Wings are simpler with fewer elements, the rear beam wing is removed, and the front-wing elements are narrower. These changes pair with the active-aerodynamics system in Chapter 7 to reduce drag on the straights and recover grip in corners.

The Power Unit remains a 1.6-litre V6 turbo-hybrid, but its energy balance changes fundamentally for 2026. Output from the internal combustion engine (ICE) is reduced while electrical power is roughly tripled, producing approximately a 50/50 split between combustion and electric power. The complex MGU-H (heat) is removed, simplifying the architecture, while the MGU-K (kinetic) is expanded to 350 kW (up from 120 kW) of deployable electrical power, fed by an enlarged Energy Store.

From 2026 the Power Units run on 100% advanced sustainable fuel - drop-in fuel made from non-food bio sources, municipal waste or carbon capture, with no net fossil carbon. The fuel regulation is energy-based (mass/energy of fuel flow is limited rather than a simple volumetric rate). Refuelling during the Race is not permitted; refuelling occurs only in the garage at a rate no greater than 0.8 litres per second with the engine stopped. Pit stops during the Race are for tyres and adjustments only.

DRS is abolished for 2026 and replaced by active aerodynamics called Driver Adjustable Bodywork. The driver can move both front-wing and rear-wing flaps between a high-downforce Corner Mode (Z-mode), in which the flaps are closed for grip, and a low-drag Straight Mode (X-mode), in which they open to cut drag and raise straight-line speed. The system is deactivated when both the front-wing profiles and the rear-wing flap are in their Corner Mode positions, and is used within zones defined by the FIA; the Race Director may disable full activation for safety (e.g. in the wet).

Overtake Override Mode is the electrical-power overtaking aid replacing the old DRS gap rule. During the Race (a TTCS), it becomes available to a chasing driver who, at the Detection Line, is less than the Detection Gap (about one second) behind the car ahead; it is then activated at the Activation Line and delivers extra deployable MGU-K energy to help complete the pass. It is disabled when the Safety Car is deployed and re-enabled afterwards. The Boost element lets a driver access the full 350 kW on demand, with deployment tapering at very high speed.

To control costs, each driver may use a limited number of each Power Unit element across the Championship without penalty: 3 internal combustion engines (ICE), 3 turbochargers (TC), 3 exhaust sets (EXH), 2 energy stores (ES), 2 control-electronics units (PU-CE), 2 MGU-K, and 5 of each Power Unit ancillary component (PU-ANC). Only sealed, homologated elements may be used during a Competition.

Using an additional element beyond the allowance incurs a grid place penalty for the next Race. The first time a new element of a given type beyond the allowance is fitted, a 10-place grid penalty applies; each subsequent new element of that type carries a 5-place penalty. A driver whose accumulated penalties for one Competition exceed 15 grid places starts from the back of the grid. The same principle applies to certain gearbox components. Parc fermé rules restrict the work permitted on cars between Qualifying and the Race.

Each Competitor may use a maximum of four (4) drivers in Races across a Championship. A substitute or replacement driver may be entered for a Competition - subject to FIA approval and the consent of the stewards for changes after initial scrutineering - and may score Championship points. A driver who has competed for one Competitor may, with approval, drive for another, but Power Unit element counts follow the driver.

The stewards may impose on a driver involved in an Incident: a 5-Second Penalty (stop at least 5 seconds at the next pit stop before rejoining), a 10-Second Penalty (stop at least 10 seconds), a Drive-Through Penalty (enter the pit lane and rejoin without stopping), or a 10-second Stop-and-Go Penalty (stop at least 10 seconds then go). If a 5- or 10-Second penalty is not served at a pit stop, the equivalent time is added to the driver's race time; penalties imposed after the chequered flag add 5, 10, 20 (drive-through) or 30 (stop-and-go) seconds to the elapsed time.

The stewards may also impose grid place penalties for the next Sprint or Race, reprimands, and disqualification (DSQ). A driver receiving five (5) reprimands in a Championship, at least four for driving infringements, receives a ten (10) place grid penalty upon the fifth. Serious offences may lead to disqualification from a session or the Championship. Penalties served at the discretion of the stewards and the Race Director, who control sessions and the start procedure.

Beyond sporting penalties, the stewards may add penalty points to a driver's FIA Super Licence; accumulating twelve (12) penalty points within a 12-month period results in a one-Competition ban. Points are progressively removed as the 12-month window for each elapses. The pit lane speed limit is set by the Race Director for each Competition (typically in the 60-80 km/h range); exceeding it draws a penalty, normally a fine in practice/qualifying and a time penalty in the Race.

The Virtual Safety Car (VSC) is used when double-waved yellow flags are needed but a physical Safety Car is not warranted. On the message "VSC DEPLOYED" every driver must reduce speed and stay above a minimum time in each marshalling sector (no overtaking). When safe, "VSC ENDING" is sent and, 10-15 seconds later, the panels turn green and racing resumes. Overtake Override Mode and full active-aero activation are disabled during the VSC.

The Safety Car (SC) is deployed when conditions warrant neutralising the Race without stopping it - for example to recover a stranded car or clear debris. Cars form up in race order behind the Safety Car at a controlled pace; overtaking is prohibited except as directed. Lapped cars may be permitted to un-lap themselves before the Safety Car withdraws. Racing resumes when the Safety Car returns to the pit lane and the leader controls the restart. Overtake Override Mode is disabled while the Safety Car is deployed.

When it is unsafe to continue, the Race Director suspends the Race and a red flag is shown; cars slow to a controlled speed and proceed to the pit lane or a designated point. During a suspension, work permitted under parc fermé is limited. The Race restarts via a Safety-Car-led or standing-start procedure. The duration of any suspension is added to the two-hour window up to the three-hour maximum Race duration. If a Race cannot resume, classification and points may be based on the order at the suspension (with reduced points in defined short-distance cases).