At a meeting of the F1 Commission on Friday, officials signed off on a rule requiring “a minimum of 55 percent of surface area (when viewed from the side and above) must be covered by painted or stickered liveries as opposed to bare carbon fibre surfaces,” aiming to curb the sport’s recent trend of bare-carbon designs.
The governing body said the objective is to “increase visual differentiation between cars,” following years of criticism that teams had stripped back colour schemes to save weight.
The issue was especially pronounced in 2022, the first year of the current technical regulations, when teams ran extensive exposed carbon to meet weight limits.
With the minimum car weight set to fall again for 2026, officials acted early to prevent a repeat.
Driver numbers are also set for their first shake-up since the permanent-number system was introduced in 2014.
The Commission confirmed that “a proposal for drivers to change their numbers during their career would be permitted,” though the specifics of how and when those changes could occur were not detailed.
Alongside the cosmetic changes, work is ongoing on the sport’s Aerodynamic Testing Restrictions.
The current ATR system scales each team’s wind-tunnel and CFD allowance based on its finishing position in the constructors’ standings, with a reset mid-season.
The FIA said “changes to Aerodynamic Testing Restrictions (ATR) are being developed to bring Formula 1 into line with contemporary processing and simulation technology while mindful of cost considerations.”
Pit-stop rules, however, remain unresolved. A proposal to mandate two tyre changes in every grand prix — used this year only in Monaco — did not gain approval.
Simulations and analysis from Pirelli and the teams were reviewed, but “no changes were presently agreed,” with the FIA confirming that talks “would continue during the 2026 season.”
A separate idea requiring drivers to use all three dry-compound tyres in a race also remains under discussion.
Other topics, including updates to driver cooling systems and debate over engine usage within the cost cap, are expected to return to the agenda at future meetings.
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