Teams “welcome freedom” of ’26 regs
In the round-up: Teams say the 2026 technical regulations offer more freedom than the current ones.
In brief
Teams “welcome freedom” of 2026 regulations
F1’s team principals say they are pleased that the 2026 technical regulations changes will give their technical teams more opportunity for innovation than the currently active rules.
“With the recent release of the car geometry, especially from an aerodynamic point of view, basically two main things have been achieved,” said McLaren team principal Andrea Stella.
“One is a much higher downforce level and the second one is more freedom. We welcome both. We welcome the more freedom. I think this will give teams the possibility to just use their knowledge, use their methodologies.”
Williams team principal James Vowles agrees: “We now have more freedom where you could see a different direction that you’re going in,” he said.
“There’s more flow controlling devices in place, which lead to downforce, but differentiation between teams. What’s been really positive as well is there’s still some small areas of improvement around the diffuser. But again, what’s great to see is teams in the [working group] working hand in hand in order to improve that. Because every time you make a change like that, it has some consequences. But I think what you’re going to see now is instead of all teams working in the same few millimetres, there’ll be some different concepts. I personally think that is good for the sport.”
Alpine targets Colapinto – reports
Despite Alpine already having announced both Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan as their race drivers for 2025, reports in the Italian media suggest that Franco Colapinto has become attractive to the team.
La Gazetta dello Sport reports that Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore is working to try and bring the Williams rookie to the team to fill the seat that has been announced already for Doohan.
Colapinto has raced six rounds for Williams replacing Logan Sargeant. He sits 19th in the championship with five points scored.
Pulling quickest in Formula E test
Alpine junior driver and F1 Academy championship leader Abbi Pulling was fastest in the all-woman Formula E test in Jarama yesterday.
Driving for Nissan, Pulling set the best time of the session around the Spanish circuit with a 1’30.889, three tenths faster than the closest time of Jamie Chadwick in the Jaguar. Bianca Bustamante was third fastest for McLaren.
Mitch Evans set the quickest time in the final session of testing for current race drivers for Jaguar, ahead of Dan Ticktum for the renamed Kiro Race Co.
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Rossi ‘will push a lot’ for Hypercar race chance after ‘stunning’ Rookie Test (FIA WEC)
”I felt comfortable from the first lap. The Hypercar is very exciting and a lot of fun to drive; it has plenty of horsepower – the acceleration when you open the throttle is impressive – and being 15 seconds a lap faster than the LMGT3, the straights feel a lot shorter! The tyres also have great grip with all the downforce, and you can brake very deep for the corners. Sincerely, lapping so close to the top was more than I had expected. My race pace was good too, and I was able to improve my times a lot throughout the day. I have to say thank you to the team for such a great experience, and I hope I get another chance to try the car.I don’t know if it will be possible, maybe not next year, but after this test, I will push a lot.”
iRacing Development Update: November 2024 (iRacing)
‘Together with Ferrari, we are so excited to bring the beautiful Ferrari 499P to iRacing. Our development collaborations have been extensive, including a visit to Ferrari HQ in Maranello, Italy, and collaboration with the real-world development team and drivers. The end result is fantastic – the 499P is incredible and thrilling to drive. The 499P will join our now 16-car-deep Endurance Series, as well as the BMW M Hybrid V8, Cadillac V-Series.R GTP, Acura ARX-06 GTP, and Porsche 963 GTP in a reconfigured/reconstituted Prototype Challenge Series. ‘
SF Full Access – 2024 São Paulo GP | Still in the Fight (Ferrari via YouTube)
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr get an early wake up call on the morning of the Brazilian Grand Prix
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