Weight and dimensions
The 2026 cars are smaller and lighter than the ones they replaced. The previous generation had grown so big and heavy that it was hard to race on narrow tracks like Monaco, and the new rules were meant to make the cars more agile.
The main numbers
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum weight (car and driver, no fuel) | 800 kg | 768 kg |
| Maximum wheelbase | 3,600 mm | 3,400 mm |
| Maximum width | 2,000 mm | 1,900 mm |
| Front tyre width | 25 mm narrower | |
| Rear tyre width | 30 mm narrower | |
| Wheel rim size | 18 inches | 18 inches |
The wheelbase is the distance between the centre of the front wheels and the centre of the rear wheels. It's the main thing that decides how long the car is.
What the minimum weight includes
The minimum weight is for the car with its driver on board, but without fuel. Teams aim to get as close to it as they can, because extra weight costs lap time. When a car is under the limit, teams add ballast (dense weights fixed in the floor). Ballast is useful because engineers can put it where it helps the car's balance most.
The bigger battery and electric motor of the 2026 power unit are heavy, and the new safety rules added weight too, so getting down to the limit is hard work.
The cars are weighed regularly. During practice and qualifying, the FIA can call a car into the weighbridge at random, and after the race every classified car is weighed. A car that is underweight is disqualified. Charles Leclerc was excluded from the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix this way.
Driver weight
Drivers come in different sizes, and in the past a heavier driver had a real disadvantage because their extra weight counted towards the car's total. To make it fairer, the rules now set a minimum weight for the driver together with their seat. If a driver is lighter than that, ballast is fitted close to their seat to make up the difference, and that ballast can't be moved elsewhere in the car. Bigger drivers no longer have to diet to dangerous levels just to compete.
Why weight matters so much
A lighter car accelerates, brakes and changes direction more quickly, and it's easier on its tyres. As a rough rule of thumb, an extra 10 kg costs around three tenths of a second per lap, depending on the track. That's why teams talk about saving a few grams on individual parts.