F1 legend behind Ferrari and Mercedes dominance sees 2026 as a turning point

18:01, 16 Sep

Updated: 18:05, 16 Sep

byLudo van Denderen

Aldo Costa, one of the most successful designers in Formula 1 history, anticipates a very exciting 2026 - with as many as six teams, he believes, capable of building the best car under the new regulations.

"Formula 1 faces a big challenge in 2026, with a few surprises"

Adrian Newey is often regarded as the best F1 designer of all time, but Aldo Costa isn't far behind the Brit who now works at Aston Martin.

The Italian has been instrumental in no less than twelve Drivers' titles in Formula 1 and an additional fourteen Constructors' titles. Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton owe many championships, among others, to Costa.

For decades, Costa was one of the most important faces in the F1 paddock, today he is Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of Dallara - the Italian manufacturer of racing cars and parts. The Italian company is also active in Formula 1, although this may not always be as visible.

Costa won his last title with Hamilton in 2019

Aldo Costa won his last world championship with Hamilton in '19 - Photo: RacePictures

Costa works with multiple F1 teams thanks to Dallara

"Formula 1 is very important to us," Costa says in an exclusive interview with GPblog, referring to the longstanding collaboration with Haas F1. For the Americans, Dallara builds the chassis.

That won't be all next season, Costa reveals. "[The] FIA, they revisited the regulation about what a third party like Dallara can do for Formula 1. And this is giving us the opportunity to work for more teams. but in a very respectful and organized way that is clear for Formula One, for FIA."

Dallara works closely with Ferrari, for which it has a centre for composite manufacturing - where parts are made for F1 cars. The new Cadillac F1 team is also a partner of Dallara.

Though still involved in Formula 1, his approach has now changed. Costa is no longer in the thick of the action, as he was during his recent tenure at Mercedes. "Indeed. I am not anymore on the front row, I'm not anymore directly involved in a team."

"But as Dallara, we are developing a multiple sporting prgoramme with our OEM partners. It's different. It's a wider view, probably less deep, less in front, but wider."

Aldo Costa was successful at Mercedes - Photo: RacePictures

Time with an F1 team is behind Costa

Costa looks back on his time with Formula 1 teams with great warmth. "If I look back at Formula 1, I did enjoy a lot the experiences that I did. The Minardi era, very young, very motivated."

"Then the Ferrari times, with Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen, the Felipe Massa era. [It was] hugely successful, a lot championships. And then the Mercedes times., the Hamilton times, the Rosberg times."

"I was very successful in Mercedes and Ferrari in always the same activity. So startting from a position of not winning and then together building the team, building the mentality, the mindset, the culture. And little by little arriving to be successful and consistently successful. So that was my aim and my aspiration," says Costa.

The Italian does not see a return to a Formula 1 team in the cards for him. He much prefers working for Dallara, which is active in many more racing series outside of the Formula 1 spectrum - like IndyCar, Formula 2 and the World Endurance Championship.

"Eleven different championships all around the world with a lot of cars. So yeah, a huge amount of projects and a huge amount of activity with a very young group. We are a thousand. Take a big Formula 1 team. But doing all this project in Paris, it's like being an OEM with roughly 18 cars in the portfolio. We're selling 18 types of cars," Costa laughs.

Michael Schumacher in action for Ferrari

Michael Schumacher won the title in 2004 with a F1 car from Costa - Photo: RacePictures

'Many uncertainties in Formula 1 for '26'

Thanks to his work for Haas, Ferrari and Cadillac, Costa knows the new 2026 regulations in Formula 1 inside out. Which team is going to be the best next year is still unclear. But the Italian dares to make one prediction.

"Yes, all the time there is a new rule that there will be someone that will make the cars drive, and there is the possibility that 4, 5, 6 different teams can do it. So it can be a big challenge with some surprises because it's new, not only the aerodynamic, not only the systems, but as well the power unit."

"So it's a global change, more than ever. If you think about the previous championships, we were talking about tyres, or aerodynamics, or power units. This time it's F. It's going to be a big change."

Follow the podcast of GPblog

Do you want to stay informed about all the news within the Formula 1? Then the F1 TODAY podcast from GPblog is the perfect way for you. Subscribe to the YouTube channel of GPblog to stay informed about a new episode, and follow the podcast on Spotify to know when a new episode is online.

GPblog's Formula 1 podcast

For a deeper dive into the weekend’s developments, including Red Bull’s floor upgrade and Verstappen’s dominant win, GPblog’s own podcast team brings the latest insights twice a week.

Thierry Bakker, Gandor Bronkhorst and Tim Kraaij sit at the bar to discuss the newest F1 stories, while during race weekends Tim and Jim Kimberley cover the hottest paddock news. Watch the latest episodes on YouTube or your favourite podcast app, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an update.