FIA plans changes to 2026 F1 terminology to avoid fan confusion

Formula 1 will look different next year compared to what fans have been used to in recent seasons. The new engine and chassis regulations also mean that the racing itself will change significantly.

DRS will disappear, as every driver will have a type of DRS on every straight through active aerodynamics - involving both the front and rear wings. To still provide an overtaking aid, the new rules include a temporary electrical power boost from the hybrid systems when a driver is within one second of the car ahead.

When the FIA officially presented the 2026 regulations during last year’s Canadian Grand Prix, these modes were still referred to as X-mode, Z-mode and the Manual Override Mode. However, these terms were considered too complex and confusing for fans - especially since the latter was quickly shortened to MOM.

X-mode and Z-mode were later renamed in the regulations to straightline mode and cornering mode, with teams soon shortening the former to SLM.

These terms still do not fully satisfy the FIA, which is why the terminology for 2026 is being changed once more. The federation wants standardised terms to ensure that all teams, drivers, media, and fans use them consistently.

“We are revising some of the terminology because we want to make it clear and we want to make it simple for the fans to understand what’s happening,” FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis told selected media, including Autosport.

Nikolas Tombazis, FIA Single Seater Director

“We want to have a unified terminology used by the teams when they speak to the drivers on the radio, but also by the commentators on TV, and also the same terminology in the regulations. So we are doing an exercise now to make sure that we create simple terminology.”

During his media roundtable in Abu Dhabi, Tombazis could not yet reveal the exact choices, though they should be finalised before the end of this calendar year - potentially as early as next week (w/c 15 December).

“I don't want to get into the exact [details of] what each one of these terms will be now, because we are also collaborating with some other stakeholders on that. But we are looking at that,” he said.

An initial indication is that Manual Override Mode may simply be called overtake mode. What once began as X-mode and Z-mode may simply be referred to as active aerodynamics.

From the FIA’s perspective, it no longer seems necessary to specify the two different modes, since all cars will essentially use the same wing settings in different parts of the track: the normal, higher-downforce configuration in corners, and the low-downforce configuration on the straights. The latter is needed to reduce drag and therefore to make the new engine regulations work.

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