This year has seen the introduction of the biggest set of rule changes in decades for Formula 1 as the sport courts new fans and entrants with efforts to increase excitement and become more technically relevant to production cars. What’s more, the same owners that have overseen the reinvention of the series are now in control of MotoGP so should we expect to see the same thinking transposed to bikes in the not-too-distant future?
The big changes for Formula 1 in 2026 encompass both the powertrains and the aerodynamics, entwined with the dual goals of making the racing closer and adding more relevance to road cars. On the powertrain front, electrical assistance has been used in F1 for decades, but has stepped up to new levels this year. KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) was introduced to the rules back in 2009, and as far back as 1998 McLaren was using a system to store electricity in batteries during deceleration and use it to run engine auxiliaries to free up a few extra horsepower. Since 2014 and the start of the hybrid era there’s been a growing reliance on electric motors, and for 2026 F1’s powertrains are balanced 50:50 between combustion and electric power.
That split introduces a new challenge. Limits on battery capacity and regeneration mean the cars don’t have the same sustained power output as their predecessors and Formula 1 has introduced moveable aerodynamics – front and rear wings that open or flatten automatically in predetermined zones on each track to bleed off drag – to counter that loss. The 2026 cars are also 32kg lighter, 100mm narrower and have a 200mm shorter wheelbase than the 2022-2025 ‘ground effect’ generation of cars. The changes mean the new cars accelerate faster and hit higher top speeds but are slower in corners and lose out fast once their batteries are depleted.
Moveable aerodynamic elements in F1 can be traced back to 1968: almost as soon as wings started to appear on racing cars, designers realised the benefits of being able to move them. They were banned the following year after a string of failures and crashes, but the idea returned in 2011 with the introduction of DRS (Drag Reduction System) as an overtaking aid. It could only be used in races in specific zones and when cars were within a second of the car they were following, giving a top speed advantage that was intended to overcome the aerodynamic handicap of running in another car’s turbulent wake. 2026’s interpretation of moving wings is much broader, reflecting the importance of being able to reduce drag to save energy – something that’s clearly at the forefront of road car manufactures’ minds in this era of hybrids and EVs.
A less well-publicised aero change for 2026 is the introduction of inward-turned bargeboards behind the front wheels. Along with restrictions on the shapes of the front wings, these are intended to stop designers from using the outwash philosophy, where turbulent air coming off the front wing is pushed aside and rushes back in behind the car to create a messy flow that following cars have to pass through, in favour of an inwash concept that pulls the wake from the front wing back towards the underfloor and sidepods. Designers are, of course, already finding ways to circumvent that restriction, creating designs that fulfil the letter of the regulations but still create outwash.
Formula 1’s latest regulations reflect the desire to attract new manufacturers to the arena. They’ve worked on that front, bringing Audi into the fold and reversing Honda’s decision to leave the sport. Cadillac, entering F1 as a manufacturer this year with Ferrari powertrains, will also make its own engine to become a standalone constructor by 2029. The heavy reliance on electrical energy from the hybrid side of the powertrains is a reflection of the need to make F1 relevant to these brands’ production vehicles: as much as fans want to see the return of screaming V10s, they don’t reflect the small capacity, turbocharged, hybrid-enhanced power units that companies want to promote in their current road cars.
Liberty Media, F1’s parent since 2017, has overseen the sport’s huge recent growth in popularity, attracting a new, younger fanbase and more than doubling the audience in the USA thanks to ideas like Netflix’s Drive to Survive and a big push towards social media. The same company completed its acquisition of MotoGP in July 2025 and inevitably that’s spurred suggestions that MotoGP could take a similar direction as F1 in the future.
It will, in some respects, but don’t expect hybrid MotoGP bikes with moving wings anytime soon. MotoGP has already greenlit sweeping technical changes for 2027 and Liberty’s focus is likely to be on attracting more big-name manufacturers to the fold by improving the show and getting more eyes on MotoGP, even if that’s at the expense of upsetting some longtime fans of the sport. The likes of BMW and China’s CFMoto are among those rumoured to have an interest in MotoGP in the future, along with a potential return for Suzuki, and Liberty will aim to create a synergy with brands’ marketing needs and ensure that there’s a strong return on teams’ investments in the sport. Unlike car companies, bike brands aren’t pushing hybrids or electric tech heavily yet, so adopting such ideas in MotoGP would be counterproductive.
Instead, the 2027-on MotoGP rules make a concession to the environment with the adoption of 100% synthetic fuel (something F1 has also done for 2026), 850cc engines instead of the current 1000cc fours, smaller fuel tanks, new limits on external aerodynamic addenda like wings and the elimination of ride height and holeshot devices that have no relevance to street bikes. While there will inevitably be year-by-year tweaks to the ruleset the basics of those 2027 regulations aren’t likely to be revisited until well into the 2030s. Instead, Liberty’s impact on MotoGP in the near future will reflect the company’s F1 approach in terms of social media and promotion, aiming to gain a broader audience and attract new fans to the sport.
Just as we’ve seen in F1, there’s likely to be a move away from some traditional circuits (farewell, Phillip Island) and towards tracks that can bring more casual fans and big businesses to the events, like city-based street circuits.
The planned 2027 rules already put new limits on downforce-generating aerodynamics, restrictions that should make it easier to follow in the wake of the bike ahead, and the elimination of ride height devices will make it harder to accelerate full-throttle out of slow corners, giving more chances for overtakes at the start of straights. Allied to the reduction in engine power and fuel capacity the changes mean the attention of teams will turn to drag reduction to claw back laptime on the straights.
