F1 drops fastest lap point, while ’26 regulations get ‘extensive enhancements’

Formula 1 has opted to drop the extra point for a fastest lap from the end of this season, following a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council at which significant changes to the 2026 technical regulations affecting aerodynamics were approved. The Council met on Thursday at the FIA headquarters in Paris, confirming regulatory changes across a number of different racing categories. From an F1 perspective, a short-term change came with the dropping of the extra point for the holder of the fastest lap — provided they finish inside the top 10 — that has been in place since 2019. “Minor changes for 2024 and 2025 Sporting and Technical regulations were approved by the World Council, including the removal of the point awarded for setting the fastest lap and the increase in requirement for fielding a young driver during free practice from once per season to two times per season,” the FIA said. The young driver time actually relates to per car rather than per team, meaning each team will field a rookie on four occasions across a season rather than the current two. More long-term changes were made to the 2026 regulations that received significant feedback following their initial publication in June. The aerodynamic rules will only be fully published for work to start from January 2025, and have been revised following discussions with the teams. “The 2026 Technical Regulations (Section C), originally approved in June 2024, were subject to extensive enhancements to the aerodynamic regulations, which have been the subject of a strong collaboration between the FIA, FOM and the Formula 1 teams,” the FIA said. “This will see a higher performance from the cars, while maintaining management of the wake characteristics to promote close and exciting racing. “The 2026 Sporting Regulations (Section B) have undergone a significant update in order to simplify and modernize their structure. They have introduced measures to regulate the energy management of the power units as well as the management of the adjustable aerodynamics, which will involve the deployment of the ‘straight-line mode’ (low drag) and the ‘cornering mode’ (high downforce). In addition, there will be three pre-season tests of three days each for the 2026 season to account for the new power units that will be adopted.” Along with an evolution of the cost cap rules, the overall regulations will be restructured in terms of layout for clarity and consistency.