Near 300km\/h disaster after baffling act as Piastri fastest in mega Aus GP statement <\/a><\/p>\n\u201cEspecially at the moment, if you can just have the car operate roughly how you expect it to, then you find a huge amount of lap time,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that\u2019s probably a big thing at the moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think we ever thought we\u2019re a long way behind Mercedes and Ferrari. I think I always felt like we were always just a little step behind.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m still optimistic that if we get everything into a more optimal place, maybe we don\u2019t have the outright performance if everyone\u2019s at 100 per cent, but I think the biggest thing is how close to 100 per cent you can get a at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Positive, then, for the odds of a first Australian home pole position.<\/p>\n
Piastri\u2019s assessment is borne out by teammate Lando Norris\u2019s subdued showing.<\/p>\n
The Briton lost laps in FP1 to a gearbox gremlin, and though his FP2 session was relatively uninterrupted, he ended the day down on experience and 1.065 seconds off the pace.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re a little bit behind in terms of running and learnings,\u201d Norris said. \u201cWith these new regulations, time in the car is very important, so we\u2019ve got a bit of work to do this evening to recover.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got some good bits of data to go over from the second half of FP2, and there\u2019s plenty we can learn from what our competitors have been doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll work hard tonight and try to close that gap before we get back in the car for FP3 tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a good start for McLaren, but consensus suggests that it could all change again tomorrow \u2014 positive for Norris, perhaps less so for Piastri.<\/p>\n
Early chaos as Piastri faces issues | 00:58<\/p>\n
IT\u2019S CLOSE AT THE TOP<\/p>\n
Though McLaren\u2019s resurgence is something of a small surprise, not surprising is that the front of the field looks close, with almost nothing to separate Mercedes and Ferrari.<\/p>\n
The narrow gaps on one-lap pace are replicated on race pace, with Formula 1 analysis predicting the top three teams are separate by just 0.15 seconds per lap, with Red Bull Racing further adrift.<\/p>\n
Race pace forecast<\/p>\n
1. McLaren: fastest<\/p>\n
2. Mercedes: +0.07 seconds<\/p>\n
3. Ferrari: +0.15 seconds<\/p>\n
4. Red Bull Racing: +0.33 seconds<\/p>\n
5. Haas: +0.83 seconds<\/p>\n
6. Alpine: +1.13 seconds<\/p>\n
7. Williams: +1.17 seconds<\/p>\n
8. Racing Bulls: +1.64 seconds<\/p>\n
9. Audi: +2.07 seconds<\/p>\n
10. Cadillac: +2.56 seconds<\/p>\n
11. Aston Martin: +2.77 seconds<\/p>\n
Red Bull Racing seemed like the least easygoing team after practice. Both Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen were off the track at various points, and neither driver really looked like troubling the top of the order. Verstappen was the quickest of the two but was still 0.637 seconds slower than Piastri.<\/p>\n
Chief engineer Paul Monaghan said feedback from the drivers was generally positive but that nailing set-up and execution was critical to extracting performance under these new rules.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe variation in how we do the lap is of such great influence \u2014 that\u2019s what we\u2019ve got to sort out primarily for tomorrow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Notwithstanding the likelihood of substantive changes come Saturday morning, after the teams have digested the lessons of Friday, this data bears out some of the suppositions from testing.<\/p>\n
There is a gap between the top four and the midfield, though it doesn\u2019t look as large as some had feared, with at least one team within a second.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also clearly a line between the midfield and the backmarkers, though Audi is straddling the middle.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s most sobering for Aston Martin \u2014 more on the sport\u2019s crisis team below \u2014 that it looks slower than newcomer Cadillac.<\/p>\n
Hamilton Avoids 300km\/h Disaster! | 00:45<\/p>\n
HAMILTON-COLAPINTO NEAR MISS DEMONSTRATES BIG RULES FEAR<\/p>\n
One of the concerns about the new rules and the way the engines work is the risk of massive speed differences on the straights, and the sport got an alarming glimpse of this risk in FP2.<\/p>\n
Franco Colapinto was travelling slowly on a preparation lap on the racing line when a fast-closing Hamilton suddenly appeared behind him.<\/p>\n
The Ferrari driver had to take rapid evasive action to avoid what would have been an aeroplane accident.<\/p>\n
The incident was sent to the stewards, who announced hours after the incident that they would take no further action.<\/p>\n
Stewards were satisfied with the explanation that Colapinto had a false neutral approaching the final turn and was being instructed by his team about fixing the issue while on the main straight. <\/p>\n
Their ruling adds: \u201cCOL explained that he was watching his mirrors the whole time and knew that HAM was approaching. He said that he was instructed by the Team to stay to the left because the Race Director\u2019s Competition Notes (Emergency Exit Map) marks the exit point on the main straight on the left side of the track. He said that if he had tried to move off the racing line when he had no drive he could have created a more dangerous situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Stewards were satisfied that there was nothing about COL\u2019s driving which was erratic. Given his mechanical problem, he was not driving \u201cunnecessarily\u201d slowly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though the circumstances appeared relatively mundane in the sense that there have always been cases of drivers dawdling on the racing line during practice and even qualifying, the fear is that these moments will be more frequent in 2026 given the need for drivers to lift and coast into the straights as well as given the engines automatically redirecting power away from the rear axle, in both instances to charge the battery.<\/p>\n
Both have the effect of suddenly slowing the car down the straights or in fast corners. Unlike in previous years, when lifting and coasting was generally subtle and only really seen in race conditions, these recharge methods are deployed at will by the drivers in every session \u2014 and because every power unit is different, these slow-going moments aren\u2019t always predictable.<\/p>\n
There can also be massive speed differences based on how and when the drivers choose to deploy electrical energy.<\/p>\n
Piastri, for example, was almost 20 kilometres per hour faster down the front straight than Kimi Andrea Antonelli when comparing their fastest laps.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying to do practice sessions at the moment is really difficult if you\u2019re off sequence with people,\u201d Piastri said. \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019ve probably seen most of us are launching our laps halfway down the pit straight, so trying to judge the car behind is very, very tough.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are certainly some pretty major quirks that we\u2019ve got to get used to. It\u2019s going to be an interesting weekend still to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that was just practice. Imagine how much more complicated it could be in Q1, when all 22 cars will likely be on track at the same time attempting a fast lap.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s perhaps no surprise that the Friday night drivers briefing appeared to run for quite a while after the new rules were put through their paces for the first time at a grand prix weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cInteresting\u201d could be a massive understatement.<\/p>\n
Can the Aston Martin last even 10 laps?! | 01:41<\/p>\n
ASTON MARTIN: IT\u2019S ALL HONDA\u2019S FAULT<\/p>\n
This is, of course, paraphrasing what Aston Martin team boss Adrian Newey and star driver Fernando Alonso said on a dire Friday for the big-spending team. Though they used more words than that, and though Newey at least attempted to emphasise that Aston Maritn and Honda are one cohesive unit, it became clear on Friday that the team wants to delineate between the theoretically fast chassis and the deeply problematic engine.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s perhaps understandable given Friday began in the worst possible way: with Alonso not participating in FP1 due to a power unit problem and Lance Stroll retiring after three laps, also with a power unit problem.<\/p>\n
Newey later revealed that both cars had suffered battery problems, leaving them with just one apiece \u2014 and with no more available even at the Honda factory.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of feel a bit powerless, because clearly we\u2019ve got a very significant [power unit] problem, and our lack of running then also means at the same time we\u2019re not finding out about the car,\u201d Newey said after FP1.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still believe we have on the chassis side [the potential] to catch back up \u2014 or would have done without the distraction that\u2019s now caused.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have, as we sit here today, only got two operational batteries. That, given our kind of rate of battery damage, is quite a scary place to be in.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re hopeful that we can get through the weekend and start two cars and so on and so forth, but it\u2019s very difficult to be concrete at the moment about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team boss also claimed that he and Aston Martin didn\u2019t realise Honda had lost most of its title-winning personnel in 2022 and was behind on its 2026 targets until last November after following up on \u201crumours\u201d of underperformance.<\/p>\n
Alonso was even more pointed at the end of Friday after completing 18 laps.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot much learning, to be honest,\u201d he said. \u201cUnfortunately the Honda issue in FP1 and some Honda issues as well in FP2 a little bit limited our number of laps today, and that was not needed again, because we need to recover a little bit in terms of understanding the car as well and the window of where this car operates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about his prospects of the weekend, he made his disappointment even more explicit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know, I just drive the car,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s more a question for Honda.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously I feel disappointed to not have stock [despite Honda] only supplying one team, but this is the situation, so it\u2019s more a question for them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alonso\u2019s fastest lap of FP2 would have been just fast enough for him to qualify for the race had it been Q1, but Stroll\u2019s best effort \u2014 albeit after ending his session early \u2014 would have seen him barred from entering the race.<\/p>\n
This weekend isn\u2019t likely to be a big test for the Aston Martin car given how few laps it can complete and now even the chance it won\u2019t be allowed to race.<\/p>\n
But it will be the first big test of the team\u2019s culture as it manages a major competitive crisis, and it looks like the finger pointing has already begun.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"McLaren has been keen to play down expectations for the early part of the season, insisting that it\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":522347,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[2074,260457,64,63,689,260441,260450,260454,40804,81129,248279,147039,260444,260456,38763,260440,817,845,260447,813,816,1802,260437,2105,90143,260451,10897,194151,260442,16200,34866,260446,1737,21772,16201,260445,825,647,677,260449,18923,77365,33108,260452,106488,21749,260439,260443,260453,16193,260455,85,260448,260438,101474,660,223969],"class_list":{"0":"post-522346","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-formula-1","8":"tag-adrian-newey","9":"tag-aeroplane-accident","10":"tag-au","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-australia-and-new-zealand","13":"tag-australian-home-pole","14":"tag-battery-damage","15":"tag-battery-problems","16":"tag-blame-game","17":"tag-chassis-side","18":"tag-crisis-team","19":"tag-data-bears","20":"tag-disastrous-day","21":"tag-drivers-briefing","22":"tag-engine-manufacturers","23":"tag-engines-work","24":"tag-f1","25":"tag-fernando-alonso","26":"tag-finger-pointing","27":"tag-formula-1","28":"tag-formula1","29":"tag-franco-colapinto","30":"tag-gearbox-gremlin","31":"tag-getty-images-inc","32":"tag-grand-prix-weekend","33":"tag-home-australian-victory","34":"tag-home-favourite","35":"tag-home-hero","36":"tag-home-pole-position","37":"tag-honda-motor-company","38":"tag-joe-portlock","39":"tag-knowledge-advantage","40":"tag-lando-norris","41":"tag-lap-time","42":"tag-ltd","43":"tag-massive-speed-differences","44":"tag-max-verstappen","45":"tag-melbourne","46":"tag-oceania","47":"tag-paul-monaghan","48":"tag-power-unit","49":"tag-power-unit-problem","50":"tag-practice-sessions","51":"tag-preparation-lap","52":"tag-race-conditions","53":"tag-race-pace","54":"tag-racing-line","55":"tag-raises-home-hopes","56":"tag-recharge-methods","57":"tag-regulation-changes","58":"tag-rules-fear","59":"tag-sports","60":"tag-substantive-changes","61":"tag-surprise-raises-home","62":"tag-time-loss","63":"tag-victoria","64":"tag-works-constructor"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522346\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/522347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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