If you’ve been scratching your head over weird F1 terminology lately, worry not, because the FIA is stepping in to make things crystal clear for 2026. Fans have been drowning in confusing terms like X-mode, Z-mode, and that awkward MOM (Manual Override Mode) since the regulations dropped earlier this year. And guess what? They’re ditching the complex terms to keep us all hooked without needing a dictionary mid-race.
FIA To Simplify F1 Terminology For 2026
With DRS waving goodbye, every car gets active aero magic on front and rear wings for straights, plus an electric power boost when you’re glued within one second of the car ahead. Sounds epic, right? But those old labels? Total headache. Teams shortened X-mode to SLM (straightline mode) and Z-mode to cornering mode, but the FIA thinks it’s too messy.
Single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis told Autosport, “We are revising some of the terminology because we want to make it clear and we want to make it simple for the fans to understand what’s happening”
“We want to have a unified terminology used by the teams when they speak to the drivers on the radio, but also by the commentators on TV, and also the same terminology in the regulations. So we are doing an exercise now to make sure that we create simple terminology,” he added
Tombazis said no exact names yet, but they’re locking it down soon, maybe next week. Like “overtake mode” instead of MOM for that power surge. And active aerodynamics might blanket the wing tricks, no need to split hairs between straight and corner setups. Why? All cars run high-downforce in turns and low-drag on straights to make the new engines sing. Pure logic and no more fan confusion.
“I don’t want to get into the exact [details of] what each one of these terms will be now, because we are also collaborating with some other stakeholders on that. But we are looking at that,” he said.
This cleanup is huge for newbies jumping into 2026’s wild engine and chassis shake-up. Remember how MOM got memed to death? Gone. Expect unified talk from drivers like Max Verstappen or Lando Norris on the radio, “Push overtake mode!”, and TV folks echoing it smoothly. It’s all about that electric atmosphere without the tech killing the vibe.
So, the FIA’s not overhauling the cars, just the words to match the hype. With regulations flipping the script on racing, this keeps us locked in. So, stay tuned, because the cars may be a point of attraction, but the 2026 F1 terminology might just steal the show.
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