Formula 1 teams brace themselves for massive challenges ahead of 2026 overhaul, with fuel costs and weight targets under scrutiny

Formula 1's much-awaited 2026 regulatory change is drawing near, but the journey ahead seems uncertain for manufacturers and teams. The proposed roll-out of 100% sustainable fuels, along with major design limitations and a stringent weight cap, has sent warning signals from major stakeholders. Ranging from energy deployment strategies to budget-shattering fuel advancements, challenges are mounting for teams such as Red Bull Racing, Mercedes-AMG Petronas, and Haas F1 Team, which are already openly expressing strong concerns.
While Formula 1 heads towards a regulation revolution in 2026, teams are already struggling with paramount issues—soaring costs of green fuels and aggressive minimum weights that can recast the grid. Christian Horner, Toto Wolff and other team principals question the feasibility of weight targets and fuel costs, raising deeper concerns about the 2026 Formula 1 rulebook.
Among the top concerns going into 2026 is the skyrocketing price of sustainable fuels. Whereas Formula 2 and Formula 3 have been able to switch to fully sustainable fuel blends with the help of Aramco, the Formula 1 teams caution that at the top level, such achievements will cost a fortune. As per Formula 2 and Formula 3 CEO Bruno Michel, the fast-paced development in the junior formulae has gone ahead of expectations, but the economic costs to F1 are prohibitive.
“It’s been going very, very well. We started this partnership with Aramco a few years ago, started with a 55% sustainable fuel, and it was part of the plan to make sure we were arriving at 100% normally in 2026. But because of the fantastic job Aramco has been doing, we’ve been able to anticipate it and do it this season, which has been a great thing,” Michel said, referring to the advantages of their development master plan. The sustainability push is laudable, but it's just part of a wider technical puzzle. Teams are growing concerned about energy deployment approaches.
Another thorn in the side of 2026 planning is the mandated car weight reduction. The new rules aim for a base car weight of 726kg, down nearly 30kg from current-generation machines. But with heavier batteries and stricter homologation tests, reaching that figure without cutting into performance—or blowing budgets—has been labelled nearly impossible.
Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner went so far as to describe the target as ‘plucked out of thin air’, going on to say, “We've got engines that are significantly heavier and a car weight that has become lower. So it will be an enormous challenge for every team to achieve it. Saving weight costs a colossal amount of money. There was a discussion last week about introducing steel skids [to reduce sparks] – and maybe that would warrant adding 5kg to the minimum weight! But it is what it is. It's the same for everybody. There will be choices teams make to hit the weight because weight is free lap time. Every 10kg is about 0.35 seconds. It will be very challenging for all teams to get down to a minimum weight.”
Also read: F1’s 2026 sustainable fuel could cost 10 times more, reaching up to $300 per litre: Report
With everything up in the air, the early races of that year might not only show technical dominance—but also whose teams had got the most complicated regulation package in F1's recent history correct.