Regulations apply to even motorsport in the world, including Formula One. Car regulations are one of these types of regulations. Formula One has become so popular that there are even books written about it, so discussing its regulations is important. Without further ado, here is an explanation of the current F1 car regulations.

F1 Car Regulations: The Engine

There are various different kinds of regulations that pertain to F1 cars. Naturally, it makes sense to begin with the engine regulations, since the engine is the heart of the car. Formula One typically refers to engines as power units these days, so this is the term we will use moving forward. The first important point to cover is the size of the power unit.

Size of the Power Unit

The power unit has to be a 1.6-liter unit these days. This is a change from previous years. From 2006-2013, F1 allowed power units to be a maximum size of 2.4 liters. Before that, from 2000-2005, 3.0 liters was the maximum allowed size for a power unit. Naturally, the change in the size of the power unit affects Formula One cars greatly. The power unit now has to be more efficient to compensate for its smaller size.

Type of Power Unit

The type of power unit Formula One allows has also varied over time. The current regulations stipulate that the power unit must be a V6 turbo-hybrid. However, prior to this, the standard power unit in a Formula One car was a V8 model. From 2000-2005, a Formula One car’s standard power unit was a V10. As one can see, the regulations about a power unit in a F1 car have changed considerably over the past 25 years or so.

Fuel Limit, Fuel-Flow Rate, and More

It is also crucial to discuss the fuel limit per race. From 2000-2013, there was no fuel limit per race. However, F1 changed that in 2014. Formula One established a 100 kg fuel limit per race, later increasing the limit to 105 kg and then 110 kg. The current fuel limit per race is 110 kg.

Additionally, the fuel-flow rate is 100 kg/h above 10,500 rpm. The fuel-injection pressure limit is 500 bar. The engine RPM limit is 15,000 and the power output cannot exceed 750-1,000 horsepower.

Cars cannot refuel during an F1 race and each car begins the race fully fueled. F1 does not allow devices that inject anything into the cylinders aside from fuel and air. Cast iron and steel are the only two materials F1 allows in a car’s camshafts or crankshaft. Formula One imposes harsh penalties on any team that violates these engine regulations.

Current F1 Car Regulations: The Chassis

A Formula One car has to measure 95 centimeters in height and 200 centimeters in width at most. As of 2025, the driver and car have to weigh a combined weight of 800 kilograms minimum. Four wheels is the maximum and one can only steer the front two wheels and drive the back two. A ‘safety cell’ is part of the cockpit and decreases the impact right in front of the cockpit. It also decreases the impact on the fuel cell located right behind the cockpit.

A F1 car includes roll structures ahead of and behind the driver due to regulations. The regulations also state that the driver has to be able to exit and enter the cockpit without adjusting anything aside from taking off the steering wheel. Naturally, Formula One regulations include crash test standards to protect drivers.

F1 Car Regulations: Crash Tests

The mandatory crash test standards include that a 30-mph direct crash into a steel barrier with a max of 60g for at least three milliseconds and average deceleration of at least 25g must not damage any part of the chassis aside from the nose section. Additionally, the same chassis has to withstand a rear impact from a sled going 30 mph without any damage in front of the car’s rear axle. The roll hoop cannot crush more than two inches. F1 only permits structural failure in the car body’s top three-point-nine inches.

An 1,720-pound object moving at 22 mph causing a side impact has to be decelerated at below 20g. Also, the chassis has to absorb a minimum of 15% but a maximum of 35% of the object’s total energy. F1 regulations state that 80 kN must not be exceeded for more than three milliseconds. An eight-kilogram object with a diameter of six-point-five inches hitting the steering wheel must not damage the quick-release mechanism or deform the wheel. As one can see, F1 is very particular about these crash test results.

Current F1 Car Regulations: Tires

Naturally, tires are incredibly important for motorsports like Formula One. The first thing to mention is that F1 has only had one tire supplier since 2007. Pirelli is the current tire supplier for F1 and has served in this role for F1 since 2011. Pirelli provides five slick dry-weather tire specifications. These specifications are C1, C2, C3, C4, and C5.

Additionally, Pirelli used to provide two kinds of dry tires for each race weekend. These types were the Option and the Prime. However, this only lasted from 2011 to 2015. Now, teams bring three dry tire compounds for each race weekend. One tire is classified as soft, one tire as medium, and one tire as hard.

Drivers choose 10 sets of tires per race weekend. F1 limits teams to only 13 dry, three wet, and two intermediate sets of tires per race event. Teams must use a unique identifier for each tire. This allows F1 to monitor and scrutinize each tire. Doing so is necessary to ensure each team races fairly.

Cars have to race using any two dry compounds in the race unless the car used wet or intermediate tires during the race. In the event that cars begin the race behind the safety car due to heavy rain, they have to use wet tires prior to making a pit stop. Additionally, it is crucial to add that teams can only applied heaters to the exteriors of their cars’ tires.

That concludes our explanation of current F1 car regulations.