New champions, new teams, a new track, and of course, new regulations. The release of F1 25 DLC, the “2026 Season Pack,” is just over a week away from launch, and last week, we got a preview of everything to expect. We also got a chance to go hands-on over the weekend with the new regs, got to find out what is and isn’t in the DLC, and how this addition to F1 25 shapes up. Hopefully, we’ll have a full review out next week when that embargo lifts, but for now, let’s talk about the regulations.

Argued to be the biggest change in F1 since 2014, the 2026 F1 World Championship has had a massive shake-up – and not just due to a war in the Middle East. The biggest bone of contention for certain drivers and many fans has been the engine output. At the start of the season, back in Australia, the 1.6-litre (3.5 Bald Eagles in Freedom Units) V6 would continue to have a total output of over 1,000 bhp, but under a new 50/50 split between engine and electric motor. The Internal Combustion Engine would now put out 540 bhp, with the MGU-K being increased to 470 bhp.

With the MGU-K generating energy through a kinetic force, new F1 terminology, “Super Clipping,” has become the norm. In short: Car goes fast = Car dumps energy from battery; car slow to generate energy for battery = Car is Super Clipping and is slower overall. That sort of came to a head with a crash in Japan, leading to rule changes ahead of Miami earlier this month, taking Super Clipping from its previous limit of 340 bhp to 470 bhp. Do I fully understand that? No, I’m not a rocket scientist. On the engine side, it is all about being able to manage the battery while maintaining pace.

The other major change this year is the design of F1 cars for 2026 and beyond: Lighter, smaller, and more nimble, with a new “active aero” in the design to replace the overtaking aid of DRS. There is, however, a new “overtake mode” with a detection point towards the end of the track, where if you’re within 1 second of the car in front, you effectively get a bit more energy than you normally would, allowing you to overtake more easily (without a guarantee). While the active aero functions similarly to DRS, there are more zones to use “Straight Mode” than before.

So what does all of this mean for gameplay? Well, in my experience over the weekend, the rules and regulations function a lot better and are more exciting than many seem to view this DLC’s real-life counterpart. Racing is a bit tighter overall. Also, it is a bit better to go wheel-to-wheel, and it is arguably more fun having constant overtakes, battles for position, or pushing everything to the limit to eke out that gap. I don’t care about the “it’s not proper overtaking,” it is a game, so it is about having fun.

Of course, EA/Codemasters has been like that one kid who says fun can only happen with rules, and the career modes are a bit more restricted than I think some would have hoped for. If you’re playing a career mode with the 2025 regs and are still in that first season, the subsequent seasons will not roll over into the 2026 regs. Career modes have completely different save files this year, with three save slots for each set of regulations in both Driver and My Team careers. Though, as announced back at the reveal, with My Team, you can now also be the 12th team in the 2026 season.

Different names had been banded about for years, but of course, this year has seen the rebrand of Sauber to become Audi. As well as the completely new team of Cadillac joining the grid as Formula 1’s 11th team. Of course, each car has its new livery and new drivers, as you’d also expect.

For those looking more towards multiplayer, there is a sort of disappointing thing to bring up. If you’re a fan of ranked multiplayer, the “2026 Season Pack” DLC doesn’t offer that for these 2026 regs; I’d argue that’s a good thing given the close nature of racing. Ranked multiplayer itself has problems as is, no need to get penalized for de-rating (slowing) and someone who’s not paying attention to power right through you. Personally, I’m 50/50 on this. F1 multiplayer is a nightmare as is, filled with children who love crashing into everyone, so take that for what it is.

Fans of Time Trials and custom Grand Prix mode, however, have a better offer as both have dedicated modes for the 2026 regs and will allow you to play on any of the available tracks. Including ones not raced on in this year’s calendar. It was also noted in the preview event that the “2026 Season Pack” will not support the following: F1 World Series, Co-op Career, Ranked Multiplayer, Leagues, Vendor Goals, and Challenge Career. Also, don’t expect new achievements to be unlocked either.

Of course, there is one thing I’ve not mentioned, and at the time of writing, I’m not allowed to as we’re embargoed on that for a while longer. As a DLC, it is a weird one to talk about. As noted above, certain parts, like Ranked Multiplayer, are omitted. The supported modes are: Driver Career, My Team, Grand Prix, Time Trial, Split-Screen, Pro Challenges, and Unranked Multiplayer. I can certainly see some looking at this and saying it isn’t enough.

The F1 25: 2026 Season Pack DLC is available to wishlist on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC ahead of its June 3rd release date. As noted in the news about its release, the console MSRP for the “2026 Season Pack” DLC is $29.99|€29.99|£24.99, with the PC price at $24.99|€24.99|£21.99. For those who have yet to pick up F1 25 itself, you can pick up both the DLC and the base game for $49.99|€59.99|£49.99 on console, and $49.99|€49.99| £44.99 on PC.

A PC preview copy of F1 25: 2026 Season Pack was provided by Electronic Arts for this preview.

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