Cars & technology

What makes a modern Formula 1 car: aerodynamics and downforce, brakes and tyres, the halo and the steering wheel, and the sweeping 2026 technical rules. These guides explain the machinery behind the lap times.

• F1 2026 regulations explained: power units, active aero, and smaller cars
  Formula 1's 2026 rules are its biggest reset in a generation. New power units split output roughly 50/50 between the com...
• Is DRS gone in F1 for 2026?
  Yes. For 2026 the moveable rear-wing DRS is replaced by full active aerodynamics: both the front and rear wings switch b...
• F1 downforce explained
  Downforce is the aerodynamic load that presses an F1 car into the track, letting it corner and brake far harder than any...
• How do F1 brakes work?
  F1 cars use carbon-carbon brake discs and pads that work best when glowing hot, above several hundred degrees Celsius. T...
• What is the F1 halo?
  The halo is a curved titanium bar above the cockpit, introduced in 2018, that protects a driver's head from large debris...
• The F1 steering wheel, explained
  An F1 steering wheel is a bespoke carbon-fibre control centre that costs roughly 50,000 to 100,000 dollars. It carries a...
• F1 tyre compounds explained
  Formula 1 uses six dry-weather tyre compounds (C0, C1, C2, C3, C4, C5) plus an Intermediate and a Wet tyre, all supplied...
• Graining vs blistering: what's the difference?
  Graining and blistering are opposite tyre problems. Graining happens when a tyre is too cold and its surface tears and r...
• How fast are F1 cars?
  A modern F1 car tops out around 330 to 360 kilometres per hour, about 205 to 225 miles per hour, with the fastest speed...
• F1 fastest lap, explained
  The fastest laps in F1 are set in qualifying, on light fuel and fresh tyres, not in the race. Lewis Hamilton's pole lap...
• Why did F1 ban six-wheeled cars?
  Six-wheeled F1 cars were real: the Tyrrell P34, with four small front wheels, even won the 1976 Swedish Grand Prix. Team...