For outsiders, Formula 1 can look like a complex and confusing sport to follow. Drivers change yearly, manufacturers introduce upgrades to the cars, rules and regulations change, and even team names ...

"There are no bad ideas in a brainstorm," they say. Only slightly lesser well known is, "if there's a four stroke piston engine that's not a radial, Formula 1's tried it." There have been inline fours ...

Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; Takashi Ayoma / Getty, Antonio Calanni / AP Formula 1’s car design revolution for 2026 is the biggest in a generation. Not only are the chassis designs ...

There’s still another couple of months before the 2026 crop of F1 cars takes to the track for the first preseason test. It’s a year of big change for the sport, which is adopting new power unit rules ...