F1 2026: Australian GP - Melbourne (Mar 8)

[3798j]

Originally Posted by Car-Addicted

We agree to disagree on that. Christian Horner is a major plus to the F1 paddock

On this forum you'll make a lot of friends with that point of view

[tracksidemanner]

Originally Posted by afadeev

You are kidding, right?

Those were the years RB/Honda got ground-effects aerodynamics and hybrid engine specs just right and dominated the series. Championships were a snooze fest. I'm sure it was fun for those cheering for RB, but the rest of the series - not so much.
In 2022, RB won 17 out of 22 races.
In 2023, RB won 23 out of 24 races - the most dominant and boring F1 season ever. RB was upfront, and a bunch of cars were queueing in a DRS train somewhere back.

Stevie Wonder would have won F1 championship in a RB in 2023!



I certainly appreciate on-track racing and passing way more in 2026 then under the previous generation of the regs. Ferrari are pretty close to Mercedes. McLaren and RB are close and likely to improve and fight for podiums. Audi is doing great it its first year in the sport. Caddy and AM, not so much. Lots of surprises in the mid-pack.

Bunch of teams (RB, RacingBs) got warm-up lap all wrong and had a poor start with empty batteries. They will learn not to repeat the same mistake in China.

FIA might tweak charging limits after China to make it even more spicy, but notwithstanding bitching and moaning by some slow-to-adopt Dutch driver, so far it's been a far better on-track spectacle than in the prior years!



You do NOT want an EV or plug-in hybrid if you don't have access to charging at home. It makes no financial sense - commercial EV chargers (e.g.: Tesla, EVgo) mark-up cost of electricity at 5x-10x rate, making them financially not attractive.

EVs provide 4x-5x per mile cost advantage for home-owners/renters in the US.

a

I disagree. The racing gaps were the smallest in F1 history. Just because one guy adapted better to a hard to drive car doesnt mean the grid wasnt close. I think you're mistaking the RB for the MB cars from 2014-2021 where they were largely a second quicker in Quali and 2 seconds a lap faster in a race. You could have won in those cars while sleeping. And yet, the did still lose to a slower car in 2021.
Actually, I believe Max has adapted well and actually foreshadowed the exact problems they are having now many years ago. His pace was mega in the race, matching MB and bettering Ferrari. Not sure what you watched...the quali issue was certainly not his fault just as it wasnt Oscar's fault when the same happened to him on the recon lap.

[Killed by Death]

Originally Posted by Car-Addicted

Here is one not embargoed
https://www.motorsportweek.com/2026/...h-f1-team-bid/

....Christian Horner is a major plus to the F1 paddock

Agree, I'd take him over FerrariFred any day

Horner is only a problem if you expect your team leader to be a saint or role model.

Horner got busted chasing and scoring some poontang...BFD!!! That's between him and Ginger.

[Davil]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Turn up the sound and listen how the 2026 F1 cars sound like => https://www.reddit.com/r/formuladank/comments/1roy3t9/sound/

I kid you not, that is uncannily accurate to the real sound of the Merc.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by Davil

I kid you not, that is uncannily accurate to the real sound of the Merc.

So , It's even worse than we thought (!)

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

So , It's even worse than we thought (!)

If anyone can swat the annoying mosi Merc, it's MAX.

[afadeev]

Originally Posted by tracksidemanner

I disagree. The racing gaps were the smallest in F1 history.

Data, please.

Originally Posted by tracksidemanner

I think you're mistaking the RB for the MB cars from 2014-2021

Nope, I cited my data points.
Where are yours?

Originally Posted by tracksidemanner

His pace was mega in the race, matching MB and bettering Ferrari. Not sure what you watched...

Others were 30+ seconds ahead and cruising to the finish line.
It was all over by the time VER figured out how to drive his car... and then got stuck unable to pass (supposedly slower) NOR.

No matter, lets give Max benefit of the doubt, plus time to study, and see if he does better in China.

Originally Posted by tracksidemanner

the quali issue was certainly not his fault just as it wasnt Oscar's fault when the same happened to him on the recon lap.

Not his fault?
Was his daddy driving for him when he crashed, while his team mate didn't (applies equally to VER and PIA).

Common, man!
a

[M5Rick]

Just in .

[tracksidemanner]

Originally Posted by afadeev

Data, please.



Nope, I cited my data points.
Where are yours?



Others were 30+ seconds ahead and cruising to the finish line.
It was all over by the time VER figured out how to drive his car... and then got stuck unable to pass (supposedly slower) NOR.

No matter, lets give Max benefit of the doubt, plus time to study, and see if he does better in China.



Not his fault?
Was his daddy driving for him when he crashed, while his team mate didn't (applies equally to VER and PIA).

Common, man!
a

https://www.racefans.net/2025/10/15/...hange-in-2026/

It's funny you mention 2023 - again disregarding the second car. What was Sergio's average finishing position? Based on your logic it should be 2.X because the car was so good. Even so, let's give him the benefit of the doubt since Max is the most talented guy to hit F1 since Michael and Senna. Something surely in the 3.X range? Not even close. Nearly double that. So true performance is seen by looking at both cars. The second car hardly shows a dominant car.

Just for comparison, Bot (who Per is better than by good margin) had an average finishing position in all his MB years of about 3. Talk about a dominant car. Easily took average and worse drivers and made them look beyond their skills. Beyond that, neither of them were ever able to truly dominate since they lacked the consistency to do so like Max did for many seasons in a row.

Beyond that, the race pace gaps;
2022-2025 - .9-1.6 seconds per lap. 2024 the entire field of 20 cars was within 1 second in qualifying, never seen before.
2014-2020 - 2-3 seconds a lap.
1990-2005 - 1.3-2.3 seconds per lap
1980-1990 - 2.5-4.5 seconds per lap
1960-1980 - 3.5-6.5 seconds per lap

So yes, 2022-2025 was statistically the most competitive field of cars ever seen, and the most talented field of drivers since the early 90's.

There is plenty more to show just that.

Max had no boost button to pass which all the drivers said, no boost = no pass. Even then, getting the pass done meant the other driver would likely pass the next corner with the advantage. Just ask Rus and Lec.

[G30M]

it seems Aston Martin discovered they were lied to by Honda

Honda dismantled its engine team in 2021 and never really got it going and AM didn't know ...

https://www.foxsports.com.au/motorsp...6c161e11178df0

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by tracksidemanner

So yes, 2022-2025 was statistically the most competitive field of cars ever seen, and the most talented field of drivers since the early 90's.

There is plenty more to show just that.

Just leave that guy be. He's a troll and knows nothing about F1. Certainly not enough to realise (or have been watching then at the time) when the 107% qualifying rule came into play which was really necessary at the time and which could easily have been a 103% rule in the last few years.
He's just one of the many Max haters here and therefore must react and disagree with everything considering the last 5 years even if the facts say otherwise.
2021 butthurt syndrome it's called

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by G30M

it seems Aston Martin discovered they were lied to by Honda

Honda dismantled its engine team in 2021 and never really got it going and AM didn't know ...

Looking how this deal came to be is of course really really weird and not surprising that it went bad

I mean if you commit to F1 to supply engines for a era/ruleset, that's a multi 100 millions $$$ deal.
So it's really strange that such an important and expensive deal is first cut off and pretty late at that (honda leaving RB and F1), RB having to look at another supplier that goes wrong and then deciding to make their own PU, and then suddenly Honda coming back at the final your at AMR.
This was all way past that another new supplier like Audi committed to F1 and started developing their engine.

So this was a huge management fail especially as it's 100% knowledge driven and you can loose knowledge/intellect in a jiffy (as it's people held/given).
So AMR's performance was for me last year the biggest unknown. Now not anymore (sadly, I really wanted them to be competative, as they do most other things right imho)

[GuidoK]