Active aero explained: how 2026 cars change shape on every straight

For the first time in modern Formula 1, both front and rear wings move on command. On the straights, cars switch to a low-drag configuration; into the braking zones, they snap back to full downforce.

Why it matters

The new power units lean on electrical energy for nearly half of their output. Shedding drag on the straights lets teams harvest and deploy energy more efficiently — and keeps top speeds high without huge fuel loads.

DRS is gone, replaced by a manual override mode that gives a chasing car an extra burst of electrical power when within a second. The effect is subtler, but racing has been closer.