2026 Formula 1 Season Thread

[Ironhorse]

Mercedes have built another monster of a PU. Its 2014 all over again. You know its a strong engine when Pierre Gasley's Alpine qualifies 7th and is competitive (Williams is overweight). Ferrari are giving the Mercs a run for their money, until they cook their tires about 10-15 laps into a stint. Crazy to have both McLarens DNS due to electrical issues -- Oscar hasn't raced a single main GP race lap yet.

I like how these new cars are able to follow each other closely again, and we seem to have gotten rid of DRS trains. Not sold on the engine / battery thing, it feels too much like Mario kart with the mushrooms. Should have kept the old hybrid engine formula along with the new chassis.

[Fuzz]

I think this new system ultimately means the best driver and car will win more often. In the past you could be tops, but stuck unable to pass, or locked in a DRS train. Because they can now strategically use their power, a smart driver can make that work, passing in places we haven't seen in the past. And even if the lead changes a few times as batteries are drained, eventually the best driver makes it stick, and heads off down the road. It feels like by the end, the natural order shakes out.


It will be interesting to see if that holds through the season, ultimately the best team cars will be the more important decider, and driver within the team second, I'd suspect. For straightforward races I think we see a much more similar finish order than in the past, barring upgrades of course, which may change the order. Reliability and consistency are going to be key this season.