Another F1 2026 shake-up on the way as FIA confirm latest rule change

The FIA has confirmed a further parts rule change will be introduced from 2026, with bespoke suppliers set to return.

A standardised part in recent years, F1 teams from 2026 will be given the freedom to sign their own wheel rim suppliers in a reversion of a rule introduced in 2022.

BBS exclusivity supplier deal to end

In 2022, F1 switched to 18-inch wheels from its previous 13-inch technology and, with it, mandated a single supplier with BBS answering the call to tender for the prescribed part.

In December 2019, BBS was confirmed as the single supplier with the deal announced publicly at the Tokyo Motor Show in January 2022 – allowing BBS to refer to itself, and market itself, as F1’s official wheel rim supplier.

Pirelli, which was granted an extension to its FIA supply deal following a tender process last year to continue supplying F1 with tyres up to and including 2027, will now find their products being fitted to a range of suppliers from 2026, as the decision has been made to open up the wheel rim supply.

The request had been made by several F1 teams in order to select their own rim suppliers, with the FIA carefully evaluating the possibility of the prescribed parts posing a “performance differentiator”.

But, having weighed it up, the wheel rims are not expected to result in terms of making efforts to develop the wheel rims in conjunction with their suppliers and, as a result, shouldn’t pose either performance or cost-related concerns.

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But the teams can now work on new supply deals – and subsequent commercial agreements – with wheel suppliers.

Examples from the recent past include Enkei, OZ Racing, and AppTech – and, with bespoke suppliers, the teams can react to defects or make changes as deemed necessary.

There is also the possibility that, despite the opening up of the regulations, teams could all still opt to use BBS rims, given the manufacturer’s current experience at making rims to work with the Pirelli tyre supply.

Whichever supplier teams opt for, the rims must still be made according to the technical regulations, with no changes forecast on this front – the plan to reduce from 18-inch to 16-inch wheels having been vetoed by Pirelli.

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