The regulatory revolution of 2026 has put some drivers in more difficulty than others, a dynamic, however, that energy management alone cannot explain. With the new cars, in fact, the new Pirelli tires have also arrived, whose behavior is still a source of disagreement between the Italian supplier and some teams. All this is accompanied by the different aerodynamic characteristics of the current cars, as explained to FormulaPassion by Simone Resta, technical deputy director of Mercedes.
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The Pirelli tires
The Italian engineer points out that energy management is not the only impactful difference on driving compared to the previous generation of cars: “There are many different elements compared to last year. The front tires have a lower cornering stiffness. The front tends to be a bit less responsive and the level of aerodynamic load has definitely dropped. This leads to lighter cars, both in terms of load and weight, which makes them more manageable. It was a bit the concept the Federation was talking about, with more agile cars that have less weight and less inertia.”
Simone Resta mentions cornering stiffness, a parameter indicative of the tires’ ability to express lateral loads, providing grip in corners. From bench tests, Pirelli did not find significant differences between the 2026 and 2025 products, but not all teams agree. McLaren and Mercedes, for example, have observed a lower ability of the current tires to express lateral forces, especially when braking and steering combined. The cause might not only be the tire itself, but its interaction with individual cars. Whatever the exact explanation, today the more aggressive driving styles are rewarded, including that of Antonelli. The Italian, in fact, tends to shorten corners by overlapping steering and braking as much as possible, which helps the 2026 Pirellis work better.
The new aerodynamics
The different characteristics of the new tires, however, are not the only novelty of the current cars. “Besides this, the main difference is that ground effect has been greatly reduced,” observes Simone Resta. “The generation of aerodynamic load always depends on the ride height, but in a less extreme way than last year. This leads to running with softer and slightly higher cars. There are fewer problems with skidding with the skid block, which could lighten the loads on the wheels a bit.”
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The shift to flatter floors has revolutionized the aerodynamic characteristics of the cars. Having reduced the ground effect, the floor no longer needs to run close to the ground, which allows for softer suspension mechanical settings. This, combined with the different way aerodynamic load is generated, makes the cars more predictable. Although they tend to slide more than in the past, due to reduced grip, the 2026 single-seaters give the driver more feedback, who can therefore play with the steering wheel and control slides. Again, the change has enhanced more aggressive driving styles, previously penalized by the strong instability of the old cars.
The Kimi factor
Overall, the regulatory revolution has been such that the best interpreters have been the drivers who had built their driving style the least around the previous cars. “It is definitely a big change compared to previous years,” comments the Mercedes technical deputy director. “There are drivers who adapt better, perhaps those who have spent less time with the old generation cars, and others who need more time to absorb them.”
Among the drivers who best interpret the 2026 cars is certainly Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who, however, according to Resta, had already shown his qualities in his debut season: “We are talking about a driver who even last year, once he got good familiarity with the car, showed good tire management. I think he is a good driver in this aspect and is doing well this year too.” Mercedes can only be satisfied with the driver leading the championship, also for the technical contribution provided off the track: “We are very happy. He is focused, does simulator support work and often comes to Brackley. We are happy with him, as with George. Overall, it is a strong line-up that pushes each other and this dynamic is good for the team,” concludes Resta.
