Formula 1’s governing body has approved new rules allowing teams to test modified cars in order to simulate the forthcoming 2026 regulations.
However F1’s official tyre supplier Pirelli has previously warned it will be “impossible” to adapt recent cars to simulate the regulations which will apply after next season.
The FIA World Motorsport Council approved an addition to the 2024 Sporting Regulations which allows a total of 10 days of ‘mule car’ testing to take place this year.
Teams may use chassis built to the technical regulations of any of the four preceding seasons – 2020 to 2023 – as a basis for the mule cars. This includes cars created before and after the current ‘ground effect’ regulations were introduced in 2022.
“Testing of Mule Cars (TMC) shall be defined as any track running time, not part of a competition, in which a competitor entered in the championship participates (or in which a third party participates on behalf of a competitor or a supplier of a homologated power unit), using cars which were designed and constructed in order to comply with the technical regulations or with the technical regulations of any of the four calendar years falling immediately prior to the calendar year of the championship, but suitably modified for the purpose of providing the appointed tyre supplier with a means of track testing of its future products or for providing the FIA with a means of testing components or systems for future championship seasons,” states the new rule.
“No competitor may sell or make available any such car to any third party without the prior authorisation of the FIA,” it adds.
“Cars must include and are limited to the minimal modifications necessary for the purpose of testing development tyres or for testing components or systems on behalf of the FIA for future championship seasons, as determined by the FIA.”
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F1 teams have previously used mule cars to simulate upcoming changes to the rules, notably ahead of the 2017 season. On that occasion the maximum car widths were increased and other rules relaxed allowing teams to create more powerful aerodynamic devices to generate more downforce. Teams were able to simulate the changes by adding larger wings to earlier cars.
However the 2026 regulations will reduce the size and weight of the cars, introduce more sophisticated active…
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