Now that Codemasters has revealed the 2026 Season Pack for F1 25, and we know that this update DLC will arrive in early June, the developer has also begun to share a ton of information and news in regards to the specifics of the content.
In a preview event, we got to learn more about how the new rules and regulations, extra teams, and in-game presentation is changing with the 2026 Season Pack, and we've summarised all of this information for you below.
For one, the new cars for 2026 will adjust the driving experience a tad. We can expect the front and rear wings of the cars to be able to open during portions of each track, as part of the new Active Aero system. This will enable cars to have a Cornering Mode where the aim is high downforce and higher drag to ensure you can get around corners easier, and then also the Straight Mode, where the aim is low drag and reaching higher top speeds, acting similarly to DRS. These modes can be manually activated or left to be autonomous depending on the assists you use in-game.
Beyond this we're told to expect more powerful cars that feature the full 350kW electric motors to enable drivers to tap into the Boost Mode to get more power from the engine when they require it. Boost can be applied whenever to help with defending from attacking cars or simply squeezing out more performance from your vehicle, but there is also the added caveat of Overtake Mode, which acts like DRS by proving drivers with slightly more energy and power should they be within one second of the car ahead. Again, these modes can be manually or automatically activated.
Speaking about the car changes, expect the 2026 cars to be thinner, smaller, and lighter, plus around 15% lower, have slightly less grip, and overall a little less pace due to their change in power balance. Codemasters explains the difference will be laps that are around 1.5 seconds slower.
Looking at the teams and the actual car models, Codemasters states that the Driver Market will be updated to where it is in 2026, which will be reflected in Career and My Team modes. Cars will also have liveries and designs that reflect the current 2026 iterations, with a Sports Update patch to follow that will "include updates to some car models" as well. Naturally, we'll be saying goodbye to Sauber (Kick) in favour of introducing Audi, and also welcoming Cadillac to the grid as the 11th team.
As for how the gameplay will actually function with this 2026 Season Pack, when players start a Career or My Team, they will need to choose either a 2025 or 2026 regulations campaign, which will then create an experience that reflects such. There will not be any direct progression between the two states and they act as separate game modes without an auto-convert feature. For My Team players using the 2026 setup, their created team becomes the 12th team on the grid.
Penultimately, Codemasters promises a few new custom game mode updates, namely in the form of adding Time Trial specifically for the 2026 regulations, and the same for Custom Grand Prix and Unranked Multiplayer. There will not be a ranked experience for the 2026 content.
Lastly, while we are told to expect additional live-service events and activities throughout the course of the year, this 2026 Season Pack will not bring layout changes to existing tracks or new Achievements or Trophies, and likewise it will offer no updates to F1 World Series, Co-op Career, Leagues, Vendor Goals, or Challenge Career.
With the launch of the 2026 Season Pack planned for next week on June 3, stay tuned for even more information.