F1 Set To Become Even More Competitive In 2026

Monday, 15 January 2024 at 03:00

Formula 1 teams were super-closely matched during the 2023 season, and the sport is set only to become more competitive.

While the Red Bull Racing team won 21 out of 22 races of the season, there were four teams behind the team from Milton Keynes that were pretty much equally matched, and the rest of the field was also very close together.

The budget cap regulations seem to be working and now that F1 teams cannot outspend each other, the competition is much higher than before.

On the other hand, there are still teams that produce their own power units which is considered an advantage in F1.

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Teams that produce their power units can adjust them to fit into their car, while teams that outsource their power units have to adjust their cars to the design of the power units (PUs) and make slight compromises.

In 2024, only four power unit manufacturers are on the F1 grid - Mercedes, Ferrari, Honda (working primarily with Red Bull), and Renault (Alpine).

it is not a coincidence that three of the four above-mentioned teams have been the three most competitive teams on the grid over the course of the last couple of seasons.

However, in 2026, things are about to change as two new PU manufacturers are about to join the battle. The first is Red Bull PowerTrains - RBPT, and the second is Audi.

Red Bull's decision to produce its own power units means Honda is free to move to a different team, and it has made an agreement to supply Aston Martin with their power units exclusively.

The team that we know now as Sauber/ Stake will be rebranded to Audi, and the car manufacturing company plans to build its own PUs.

So, in 2026, there will be six teams with their own PUs - Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault, Red Bull, Aston Martin, and Audi. Therefore, the battle for the Championship is expected to become even more exciting.