Ferrari rules out compromise over crucial area of 2026 car

Ferrari Sporting Director Diego Ioverno has warned that Formula 1 should not lose sight of making cars safer amid the push for lighter machines.

F1's new set of technical regulations to be introduced in 2026 will herald a fresh start in terms of aerodynamic and engine specifications, although one concern from drivers has been the increasing weight of cars.

Since the start of the 2014 campaign and the current turbo hybrid era, when F1 moved away from relying solely on combustion engines, cars have become 100kg heavier, although this is also due to safety improvements, such as the halo.

As a result, cars have become more difficult to drive in slow-speed corners with drivers such as Lewis Hamilton expressing concerns that the brakes were reaching the limit in terms of being worked too hard.

Ferrari issue warning

Ioverno has asserted that F1 shouldn't lose sight of ensuring the safest possible cars in pursuit of lighter machines.

"I think drivers, all in all, would like to have a smaller car because they think, rightly so, that would be more fun to drive, possibly quicker, lighter, as it was in old times," he told media including RacingNews365.

"Everything is possible. It's just a matter of how you define the technical regulations.

"We have to remember that our main target is always the safety of drivers.

"So there are again, a lot of discussions between teams, FIA in the Technical Committee, to set rules that can make also drivers happy, not only teams and fans.

"It may happen, it’s not defined yet. Everybody will be happy to have a quicker car, easier to handle, to give a better show. So discussions are ongoing."