summarized from Kagi because f youtube videos
9 Things You Need to Know Before the New F1 Season Begins
1. Information Reliability
- Be cautious of social media rumors and AI-generated content.
- Rely on official F1 sources and trusted journalists.
2. Important Dates
Event Dates (2026) Location Private test 1 26 – 30 Jan Barcelona-Catalunya Official pre-season 18 – 20 Feb Bahrain Round 1 6 – 8 Mar Australia Round 2 20 – 22 Mar China Summer break Aug — Season finale 4 – 6 Dec Abu Dhabi
3. Regulations and Jargon
- Boost button – formerly the overtake button.
- Manual Override Mode (MO) – new driver-controlled power mode.
- Recharging – managing energy recovery and deployment.
- Active Aerodynamics:
- Cornering mode – increases downforce in turns.
- Straight mode – reduces drag on straights.
4. Power Units
- 1.6L V6 turbocharged engine remains.
- Hybrid component significantly increased.
- Drivers must manage complex energy cycles: recharge ↔ deploy.
5. Overtake Mode
- Replaces DRS with a power-based system.
- Usage restricted to designated zones.
- Battery management is critical for both attacking and defending.
6. Active Aerodynamics
- Straight mode: reduces drag (like DRS but affects more car parts).
- Cornering mode: increases grip.
- Can be active every lap, not just when within 1s of another car.
7. Qualifying Format
- More cars on the grid → more eliminations in Q1 and Q2.
8. Engine Compression Ratios
- Loopholes in regulations may allow:
- Higher horsepower (e.g., Mercedes, Red Bull interpretations).
- Reliability risks due to aggressive tuning.
9. Contract Status
- Many driver contracts expire this season.
- Expect a volatile “silly season” with major driver market movements.
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Iirc they actually renamed the “Manual Override Mode” to something else already because they wanted to avoid the abbreviation “MOM”
I don’t keep up with f1 that well but from the info listed it sounds like f1 has gone from cars to wingless jets and I love it.
I feel like the “push to go fast” buttons are gimmicky. They could have avoided regulations on that and just let the teams do what they thought best, they keep trying to improve “engagement” but fail miserably.
F1 is more popular than ever, and is now gaining popularity in the US. What do you mean, they’re failing miserably to increase engagement?
Right, I guess audience is moving toward the US, 'cause around these parts it appears to be dwindling
Around which parts exactly?
Well, this account is on a national instance…
Ah, fair.
Has that not improved with Kimi joining, or is Ferrari’s success really the determining factor?
