That mood music has continued in Melbourne, where Esteban Ocon<\/a> said overtaking \u201clooks quite difficult on paper\u201d because \u201cthe overtake usage looks like it’s only a tenth gain, while DRS last year was like six or seven tenths through the lap\u201d.<\/p>\n He couched that by adding, \u201cIs it going to be like that in reality? Maybe not.\u201d But, again, that cleaved to F1\u2019s captive narrative of unknowns and uncertainties.<\/p>\n So it was interesting to witness Mercedes drivers George Russell<\/a> and Kimi Antonelli<\/a> being much less equivocal, even if Antonelli\u2019s way in was to say, \u201cSome races may be crazy at some point, because with this energy [deployment], you can overtake in places where before you wouldn\u2019t even think of.\u201d This is also something we\u2019ve heard before, towards the end of last year, before the groupthink shifted towards a more downbeat assessment.<\/p>\n George Russell, Mercedes<\/p>\n Photo by: Alastair Staley \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n But Russell was unequivocal. \u201cI don’t think overtaking will be a big issue at all,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think having these discussions even before the season has started is too premature, because the truth is we don’t know how the racing is going to be. And at least from what Kimi and I have seen on circuits like Melbourne, Saudi [Arabia], actually the racing can be very exciting. And just with how you distribute the energy around the lap.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we need to give it at least five races or so on different circuits. I think China will be different to Melbourne with regards to the energy. I think Suzuka will be very different once more.<\/p>\n \u201cSaudi will be more similar to Melbourne. Bahrain may be more similar to China. So after the first five races, I think we’ll have a much better understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s highly likely that at least two of the races he spoke of will now not happen, or be rescheduled, but that\u2019s not germane to the matter of overtaking. What makes Melbourne either a fascinating experiment or the worst-possible place to start the season \u2013 depending on who you speak to \u2013 is how its circuit configuration will affect the racing. Essentially the layout is \u201cenergy poor\u201d or \u201cenergy hungry\u201d in 2026 F1 parlance: plenty of straights with relatively few heavy braking areas, so the internal combustion engine will be doing much of the heavy lifting in terms of electrical energy harvesting via super clipping.<\/p>\n This is an alternative to lift-and-coast in which the driver remains at full throttle in a straight line and the electrical motor is turned in negative torque, generating electrical energy like a dynamo. The downside is a reduced top speed \u2013 which potentially makes overtake mode more powerful if deployed to pass a car which is super clipping.<\/p>\n Read Also:<\/p>\n Obviously, though, energy \u2018spent\u2019 in this way has to be recouped elsewhere, hence much of the uncertainty surrounding overtaking. But for Antonelli and Russell to be taking a more positive position speaks to Mercedes being relatively confident in its simulation results. Equally, cynics might say that if the W17 is as competitive as expected, many of these overtaking moves will be facilitated by blue flags.<\/p>\n Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes<\/p>\n Photo by: Simon Galloway \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n So Autosport asked Antonelli to clarify his position: when he talked about \u201cspectacular\u201d moves, was there data to support the assertion, or was it the case that these unusual overtaking moves would be the result of desperation because overtaking will be difficult?<\/p>\n \u201cI’m not going to lie,\u201d he said. \u201cTo follow is not easy.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I say this because this track is so demanding on energy that the overtake mode can give you six tenths in one straight over the car in front, it can even give you up to eight tenths. And also there are places where if you deploy full battery \u2013 obviously it’s maybe not efficient if you look at the optimal lap time \u2013 but it can be a place where the other car is not deploying and saving battery. If you press the overtake boost you gain basically 400 horsepower compared with an optimal lap, you can gain massive amount of lap time and you can make a move in a corner where the other one doesn’t expect.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course when I talk about this it’s more start of the race, safety car restart and even last lap. If you’re in a scenario where the cars are close to each other than during the race when it’s stabilised, of course it’s going to be a bit more difficult.<\/p>\n \u201cI say this because obviously Bahrain was more difficult \u2013 but Bahrain is also a much more straightforward, and much better on the energy side. You have barely any super clips, here you have incredible amount of supercuts so you do slow down on the straight and the overtake is extremely powerful \u2013 the speed either stabilises or keeps increasing [i.e. in overtake mode or with full deployment] so that’s why the difference is going to be really big in this track.\u201d<\/p>\n The reality of racing at these energy-poor tracks is that there will be protracted periods of neutralised racing where the drivers are, in effect, stalemated. In previous seasons this was a function of being stuck in DRS trains and\/or having to manage tyre sensitivities. Now it\u2019s more a question of being locked in to these so-called \u2018optimal lap\u2019 energy-management strategies until something happens to disrupt the flow.<\/p>\n Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team<\/p>\n Photo by: Steven Tee \/ LAT Images via Getty Images<\/p>\n So the opening laps are now more likely to be harum-scarum before races settle down. Then another of the great unknowns: although several simulated race starts were staged during testing, at no point have the teams undergone real-world rehearsals of a safety car restart. The first one of these in race conditions, therefore, will be fascinating.<\/p>\n So too is the tantalising possibility of the gloves coming off, as it were, when cars are close to one another with the chequered flag in sight. Until strategies converge as this latest ruleset becomes familiar, then, the chances are that Mercedes\u2019 glass-half-full position is the correct one.<\/p>\n Read Also:<\/p>\n We want to hear from you!<\/p>\n Let us know what you would like to see from us in the future.<\/p>\n![\"George](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/george-russell-mercedes.jpg\")
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