Question of the Week: what would your ideal F1 car look like?

We’ve known for a while now that significant changes are coming to Formula One in 2026, and last week, the FIA went into further detail about just how significant those changes are going to be.

The general design of the cars will be smaller, lighter and more focused on manipulating aero, while the hybrid powertrains will reduce the load on the combustion segment while increasing the prominence of the electric motor. All of this, if you didn’t already know, means F1 cars will be very different within the next two years. 

But it got us thinking: what would your dream Formula One car design be? What sort of radical ideas or design traits would you bring forward to 2026 if you were in Stefano Domenicali’s shoes? 

To get the creativity flowing, we thought we’d mention a few of the most dramatic changes we’ve seen throughout the years, beginning with Colin Chapman’s revolutionary idea: ground effects. 

Introduced in the Lotus 78, the principle was to incorporate two venturi tunnels into the car’s side pods, which would then create a massive area of low pressure. That means more downforce. More downforce means more grip. More grip means… look, you know where we’re going with this.

How about something much simpler to understand: the addition of front and rear wings? During the 1968 season, teams like Brabham and Ferrari began to trial these new fixtures and realised how much more pace could be extracted through the corners. Soon after, rear wings and splitters were practically standard fittings in all cars. 

Let’s round off with one more thought, albeit a much more radical one: the blower fan. Trialled by Gordon Murray in the Brabham BT46B back in 1978, Niki Lauda even won a race in it before the car was banned for fear it may be too controversial. Still, how cool would it be to see it return to Formula One someday?

Let us know your most radical ideas in the comment section below, readers, and we’ll compile a list of the very best in Friday’s result poll. Happy procrastinating.