Newey predicts: Those who are close to the weight limit will be at the forefront in 2026

(Motorsport-Total.com) - In 2026, Formula 1 cars will be lighter again – at least on paper. The minimum weight, currently 800 kilograms , will drop to 768 kilograms next year. The question, however, is whether the teams will even achieve this.

Adrian Newey, at least, has his doubts. "I think we all know how sensitive Formula 1 cars are to weight, and at the start of 2022, there were several cars that were overweight, including the Red Bull," he recalls.

"This time it's an even bigger challenge," he explains, looking ahead to 2026, because: "The weight limit has been reduced, but the cars are of course heavier due to the size of the battery."

So, while the cars themselves will be slightly smaller again in 2026, because the proportion of electric power in the drivetrain will increase, the cars will need a larger and therefore heavier battery. "So I think any team that adheres to the weight limit will do very well," says Newey.

Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu also explains in this context that "at the moment" it looks as if some cars will be significantly more over the weight limit at the beginning of 2026 than was the case at the beginning of the 2022 rule change.

Every gram costs valuable lap time

And even then, some of the cars were already significantly too heavy. Helmut Marko, for example, admitted at the beginning of 2022 that the Red Bull RB18, which would win both world championship titles at the end of the year, was still about ten kilos too heavy at that time .

At the time, Marko also explained that these ten kilos on the stopwatch represent a handicap of approximately three to four tenths of a second per lap. Thus, the weight of the cars could again play a decisive role at the start of the 2026 season.

A few weeks ago, Christian Horner was already annoyed that the new weight limit for 2026 had been "simply plucked out of thin air." "We have engines that are significantly heavier – and a weight limit that has been reduced," he also pointed out the contradiction.

"This will be an enormous challenge for every team. Weight savings cost an incredible amount of money," said the Red Bull team boss. However, this investment could pay off next year, at least at the start of the season.

Because at the beginning of the year it might not be the team with the most sophisticated concept that is in front - but the one with the lightest car.