F1: how teams are balancing resources between 2025 season and technical revolution of 2026
01/02/2025 10:18 AM
The 2025 F1 season has yet to begin, but teams are already focused on what lies ahead under the new 2026 regulations. Exaggeration? Not at all. The regulatory framework, finalized after a long and arduous process of conflicting interests, vetoes, and political pressure, agreed on one key point: teams could start working on next-generation cars only from January 1, 2025.
This decision arose not only because the final regulations were approved only a few weeks ago but also to prevent the 2024 and partially the 2025 seasons from becoming transitional years, with valuable time and financial resources diverted toward 2026 projects.
By January 1, the cars for the upcoming championship are essentially complete in almost every detail. Helmut Marko recently revealed that the RB21 is nearly in production, indicating that the 2025 models are fully defined and that no resources were sacrificed for the 2026 campaign.
F1 2025: Dual Technical Divisions Preparing for 2026
From this point onward, teams can begin work on future cars. Consequently, most teams will likely double their technical departments. Some groups will focus on the 2025 season, while others will dedicate themselves to future designs.
These divisions won't be isolated; interaction and the exchange of ideas between groups will be maintained. However, as the season progresses, resources will gradually shift toward the teams working on the 2026 cars, as expected.
For instance, Aston Martin is widely regarded as a strong contender to play a major role in the “Formula 1 2.0” era starting in 2026. Adrian Newey, freed from Red Bull's gardening leave on March 1, 2025, is expected to focus on future car development. This will help Aston Martin recover from the two-month delay, which may be relatively insignificant, especially if the team doesn't overcommit to a 2025 season that could serve as a transitional championship for the Silverstone outfit.
F1 2025: The Risk of “End of the Road” Syndrome
With a static regulatory framework, it's reasonable to expect the performance convergence seen last season to persist, possibly even solidify. Ideally, this would result in a competitive championship with multiple contenders fighting until the end of the year. This scenario would encourage both sporting and technical competition, pushing teams to improve their cars as much as possible while balancing the demands of the following season.
However, if a top team realizes early that its fundamental design lacks the qualities needed to compete effectively, they might abandon the season abruptly—entering the “end of the road” phase—and shift all focus to their 2026 projects.
The mandate to start working on future cars now aims to mitigate this risk, though it cannot eliminate it entirely. F1 leadership is aware that freezing chassis, aerodynamic, and engine regulations for years might result in a transitional season ahead of a revolutionary change, one of the most significant in the sport's history, as it impacts every technical aspect.
Much will depend on the performance hierarchy that emerges at the start of the season. If one or more top teams demonstrate significant deficits early on, they might deliberately withdraw from the sporting competition, aiming instead to gain a temporal and technical advantage for 2026.
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