Formula DRIFT Reveals 2026 Competition Format Changes with Race Data Labs

After two seasons of the seeding format, Formula Drift is returning to the classic Two-Run Qualifying format for the PRO Championship. According to the series, this wasn’t a top-down decision, it was a democratic one. During driver summits, the majority of the PRO grid voted to ditch the seeding bracket in favor of individual runs. Why the flip-flop? While the seeding bracket offered high-stakes tandem early in the weekend, drivers missed qualifying and the clear-cut hierarchy it established for the Top 32 bracket.

Wait. Doesn't individual qualifying take forever? That’s where Race Data Labs (RDL) comes in. The Australian-based telemetry and data systems company will automate the uniquely objective aspects of individual qualifying runs, thus allowing the return to Two-Run Qualifying for the PRO Championship while fitting into the existing weekend schedules. To keep the show moving and eliminate the "dead air" of long judging deliberations, FD is introducing the Universal Drift Scoring Method (UDSM).

For 2026 PRO Qualifying, roughly 80% of the score will be automated.

• Line and Angle: These will be measured via telemetry and scored instantly by the RDL system.

• Style: This has been decoupled from the data. Three human judges will still sit in the tower to award points for the subjective flair and aggression that a computer can’t judge.

This tech isn't just for qualifying, either. During tandem, the system will provide objective data on proximity, deceleration, and exactly how many tires went off track. It’s a massive step toward transparency that should, in theory, end the OMT controversies that set the internet on fire every Saturday night.

Michael Vernuccio from Race Data Labs said: “Race Data Labs is beyond excited to integrate into the 2026 Formula DRIFT program. Our current UDSM system has been capturing drift telemetry for more than three years in 12 different countries, so its adoption by FD presents a new pathway for integration into the sport as a whole.”

“We’re finally able to give our judges the tools they’ve been asking for, empowering them to make the right decisions with greater certainty and in a shorter time. In partnership with RDL, we’re able to provide information about the incredibly complex dynamics of 1200hp PRO drift cars at high speed that’s invisible to the naked eye and has been extremely difficult to analyze and interpret despite the help of our multiple camera angles" said Formula DRIFT President Ryan Sage.

Unsurprisingly, the PROSPEC drivers voted the opposite way. They will keep the Seeding Bracket format. Their logic? PROSPEC is a developmental series, and the drivers felt that the extra tandem seat time provided by the seeding bracket was too valuable to give up. This creates a clear distinction between the two tiers: PROSPEC is about learning to battle; PRO is about precision, data, and elite execution.

“We can propel the sport forward by incorporating much of the UDSM data into our free-to-view livestream broadcasts,” Sage said. “By capturing, animating and dynamically transmitting the data, fans can share the robust backbone of the system and gain a greater understanding of the most nuanced motorsport series in the world.

This is a massive gamble on technology. We’ve seen automated judging attempted in other series before with mixed results, but with Race Data Labs providing real-time telemetry for the livestream, the fan experience is about to get a lot more technical. Will the UDSM system make the sport too "robotic," or will it finally provide the consistency fans and drivers have been begging for? We’ll find out at Long Beach in 2026.

Formula DRIFT's 2026 schedule and further details on their qualifying changes can be found on their website: www.formulad.com