Mercedes' Allison expects major downforce loss in 2027 F1 rules

Mercedes technical director James Allison expects Formula 1 cars to lose a significant amount of downforce at the start of the 2027 season, as the FIA revises the chassis and aerodynamic rules introduced this year. The changes include a shallower rear wing, tighter restrictions on the front of the floor and a ban on the small wings used around the exhaust to generate rear downforce.

Asked on the Nu Silver Arrows Podcast whether the cars would lose a bit of downforce, Allison said, "I think more than a bit." He said it would be interesting to see whether teams accept that loss or recover it, and added that the power unit changes were not as small as they had been advertised.

The revised hybrid rules will shift the nominal combustion-to-electric split from 53:47 to 58:42 in 2027, with a further move to 60:40 planned for 2028. Mercedes secured the constructors' championship in Sao Paulo with three rounds to spare, a week after Kimi Antonelli won the drivers' title.