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Formula 1 pre-season testing will be tripled in amount for 2026 when the series’ significantly different new technical regulations come in.
The F1 Commission - comprising the FIA, F1 and all teams - agreed on Tuesday that there will be three three-day tests in early 2026 to give the field more time to get their new cars and engines up to speed.
In recent years pre-season testing has been steadily reduced, going from a pair of four-day sessions to a pair of three-day sessions before being cut right back to a single three-day test over the last two years.
The nine days of winter 2026 running will be the most teams have had since 2015, when the same three tests of three days each format was used.
It’s still not as much as teams had when the last major engine rules changed in 2014 - as that winter there were three four-day tests, and even with 12 days of winter running reliability was a substantial challenge for manufacturers in the early races as the hybrids made their debut.
The F1 Commission also reported that an updated version of the 2026 regulations will be presented to the FIA World Motor Sport Council on October 17, after an extraordinary Commission meeting on October 2 “to discuss 2026 matters”. That follows disquiet from teams in particular over several elements of the rules as originally presented in June.
POINTS FORMAT STAYS THE SAME
Despite discussions in the paddock earlier this year about the possibility of extending the number of points scorers in a grand prix, the Commission unanimously agreed to stick with the present top 10 points distribution.
The most likely scenario for a change would’ve been points being extended down to 12th place with the distribution from eighth downwards altered.
Consideration of a points change had grown due to the increased competitiveness of the field and lower attrition rates creating a feeling that it was both harder than ever to get into the top 10 and that strong performances outside it were going unrewarded. At three grands prix this year all 20 cars have finished.
But the stakeholders have agreed that for now there’s not a sufficient case for changing the format.
