When the grid lines up on the Strip on Nov. 21, it will be the first Las Vegas Grand Prix run under Formula 1’s 2026 regulations, the biggest rewrite of the sport’s technical rules in more than a decade. The cars are smaller and lighter, the wings move, and the engines get nearly half their power from electricity.
F1 2026 rules: engines that split the load
The combustion engine now makes about 400 kilowatts, down from roughly 550. The electric motor that recovers and deploys energy, known as the MGU-K, jumps to 350 kilowatts from 120. That brings the split close to 50/50.
The rules also dropped the MGU-H, the complex unit that harvested energy from exhaust heat. The energy a car can recover under braking roughly doubles, to 8.5 megajoules per lap, and the engines now run on fully sustainable fuel.
Wings that move, and no more DRS
Both the front and rear wings are now adjustable. On marked straights, drivers can switch to a low-drag setting called Straight Mode, then return to a high-downforce setting for the corners. The drag reduction system that defined overtaking since 2011 is gone.
In its place is Overtake Mode, which gives a chasing driver an extra 0.5 megajoules of electrical energy when they are close to the car ahead. A separate Boost function lets drivers spend stored energy when they choose.
Smaller, lighter cars
The wheelbase is 200 millimeters shorter, at 3,400 mm, and the floor is 100 mm narrower. Tires are slimmer at both ends. Minimum weight fell to 768 kilograms from 800 in 2025. Formula 1 says the cars make about 30 percent less downforce and 55 percent less drag.
Why Las Vegas is a test of the F1 2026 rules
Formula 1 describes the 6.201-kilometer Las Vegas Strip Circuit as having average speeds similar to Monza, the fastest track on the calendar. Its signature feature is a flat-out run of close to two kilometers, most of it on Las Vegas Boulevard itself.
That makes it a clear stage for the new rules. With electric power now doing so much of the work, how a team recovers energy in the braking zones and spends it on the straights matters more than before. Long straights are where Straight Mode and Overtake Mode come into play most, and the Strip has one of the longest in the sport.
New names on the grid
The rules also brought in new manufacturers. Audi runs its own team after taking over Sauber, Honda is the works partner of Aston Martin, and Red Bull now builds its engines with Ford. Cadillac joined as the 11th team, running Ferrari engines while General Motors prepares its own for 2029. Las Vegas is one of Cadillac’s three home races this season, alongside Miami and Austin.
Race weekend details, including session times and how to watch, are in our 2026 Las Vegas Grand Prix schedule.
Sources
- Formula 1: From smaller cars to a bigger budget cap: 12 rule changes you need to know in 2026 (March 3, 2026)
- FIA: A new era of competition: FIA showcases future-focused Formula 1 regulations for 2026 and beyond (June 6, 2024)
- Formula 1: Las Vegas Grand Prix 2026
- Formula 1: How Cadillac’s first home race in F1 panned out at the Miami Grand Prix (May 6, 2026)
- Sky Sports: FIA approves General Motors as new Formula 1 engine supplier from 2029 (April 23, 2025)
