Formula 1 without DRS: how overtaking works under the 2026 rules

DRS is gone from Formula 1 in 2026. In its place come moving wings, an overtake mode and a battery that now has a big say in how races play out.

New cars, new engines

For 2026 Formula 1 has new cars and new power units. The cars are smaller and lighter, and the power unit leans far more on electricity: the electric motor now supplies around half the power, the complex MGU-H has been dropped and the fuel is fully sustainable. The overtaking tools changed along with all that.

Wings with two settings

Until last season only a flap on the rear wing opened on the straights. That was DRS, and you only got it within a second of the car ahead. Now both the front and rear wings have moving elements. Corner mode keeps them closed for maximum downforce. Straight mode opens them up for less drag and more speed. Drivers use straight mode in designated zones on every lap, whether there's anyone in front or not.

A long Monza straight, where the wings switch to straight mode

Overtake mode

The real replacement for DRS is Overtake mode. Be within a second of the car ahead at the detection point and on the next lap you get extra electrical energy: the car holds full electric power for longer and accelerates harder. You can use it all in one go or spread it over the lap.

Within a second of the car ahead: extra energy on the next lap

Boost and the constant energy squeeze

Drivers also have Boost, a button for extra energy to attack or defend anywhere on the lap. The battery is small, though, and whatever you use has to be recovered under braking. So drivers are forever deciding where to spend charge and where to save it. Sometimes the energy runs out near the end of a long straight and the car's power tails off.

What the one-second gap means now

Overtaking has become tactical. You can attack where your rival isn't expecting it, or burn all your energy and have nothing left for the next straight. The one-second gap still matters, but it now unlocks extra energy instead of a flap.

Who can use Overtake mode

The quickest way to tell is the interval to the car ahead. LapRadar's Live centre shows it for every driver.