FIA Announce Major Rule Change Impacting All Teams for 2026 Season
The FIA have confirmed another big rule change set to be introduced ahead of the 2026 F1 season.
With 2026 just a couple of days away, Formula One fans are already looking ahead to what promises to be an exciting season next year.
F1 will officially return when the season gets underway with the opening race being the Australian Grand Prix taking place in Melbourne from Thursday, 5 March to Sunday, 8 March.
Anticipation for the 2026 season specifically is higher than previous years as the introduction of a wave of new regulations is expected to cause major changes within the gird.
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But there's still more changes to come as Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), F1's governing body, has announced another major change in the rules that will impact all teams next season.
Undoubtedly the biggest changes coming in the 2026 season will be the welcoming of an 11th team and the introduction three new and different modes to aid overtaking, replacing the popular DRS system (Drag Reduction System).
However, they aren't the only changes that will come next year as a new draft of the sporting regulations has been approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council in December.
Included in this new draft was the decision to increase the filing fee that teams are required to pay if they want to lodge official protests or appeals against stewards' decisions.
The possibility of the increase was first raised during the F1 Commission meeting last July, with it becoming an issue as the final race results have been significantly delayed on several occasions due to complaints.
It comes as part of a plan to reduce protests deemed unnecessary or lacking solid foundation.
In 2025, frustrations came following numerous protests lodged by Red Bull Racing at the beginning of the season with former race principal Christian Horner lodging two complaints against George Russell.
The first came at the Miami Grand Prix, when Russell was accused of failing to slow down under yellow flag while the second came for allegedly failing to observe the minimum distance from the Safety Car at the Canadian Grand Prix.
In both cases, the FIA rejected the Milton Keynes team's protests, causing frustrations among other teams.
Ben McCrum