Why the 2026 rules expose the perils of F1’s road car quest

OPINION: Formula 1's next generation engine rules for 2026 have lured in new manufacturers and led to a need for active aero. But the world championship taking a pioneering role in this dimension unintentionally suggests that its desire to maintain road relevance may not be without its perils

To justify and secure an existence amid the climate crisis, the professional motorsport world is bearing down on two goals. First, carbon neutrality to show everyone that at least these series don’t come at a cost. Second, reasserting racing as a live technical testbed for innovations that can soon enough trickle down into the wider road car industry to bring about a greater good.

Formula 1 – working to be net carbon zero by 2030 – has done well to repeatedly achieve the latter over the decades. See driver aids, semi-automatic gearboxes, carbon fibre construction and so on. Although these innovations didn’t necessarily all debut in the top flight, it’s where they cemented their pioneering, needle-moving reputation.

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Author Matt Kew

Matt Kew is Autosport’s F1 Editor, a role he has held since March 2022 following stints covering Formula E, Extreme E and the British Touring Car Championship.

Matt joined Autosport in 2018 to work predominantly on the magazine, but his relentless quoting of Alan Partridge meant office colleagues soon thought he would be better-suited to increased field work.

Needless to say, Matt had the last laugh when he won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2019.

His interest in motorsport was sparked by regular trips to watch ASCAR crash around Rockingham’s banked oval.

Matt read politics and philosophy at the University of Sheffield - receiving first-class honours for his dissertation assessing the lack of female participation in top-tier motor racing.

He covered a wide variety of national race and rally meetings for Autosport as a freelancer before joining full-time. His best efforts to argue the merits of historic racing are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.