after qualifying 24 hours later<\/a>. <\/p>\nPiastri led the way for McLaren in fifth, 0.862 seconds off the pace. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur thoughts on the picture have been that everyone was pretty close. Then Mercedes jumped ahead and the rest of us were pretty close.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for me the biggest thing was we didn\u2019t seem to gain very much \u2014 I certainly didn\u2019t seem to gain very much \u2014 through qualifying. I don\u2019t know if that was car or driver.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly the way you have to try and go faster is complex. Clearly the way you naturally want to go faster doesn\u2019t work, but maybe there needs to be more restraint or looked into more. <\/p>\n
\u201cAfter FP3 by far the biggest thing was straight-line speed. I think that\u2019s clearly something we need to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Comparing Piastri and Russell\u2019s fastest laps shows the gap was amplified down all the straights. The difference was particularly pronounced down the back straight, where the Mercedes was as much as 30 kilometres per hour faster.<\/p>\n
Rumours dating back to last year placed Mercedes at the head of the pack. Those rumours, however centred on engine performance \u2014 and McLaren uses the same power unit.<\/p>\n
It suggests Mercedes hasn\u2019t stolen a march just on engine performance but also aerodynamically.<\/p>\n
Norris said the two were interlinked given the complexity of the new hybrid motor. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing is now, to a certain extent, the more straight-line speed you have, the earlier you can lift,\u201d he explained. \u201cThe earlier you lift, the more power you\u2019ve got, the more you can stay on throttle.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlso, when you go quick around the corner, you can roll quickly around the corner, you spend more time off throttle, still be quick out the corner and you have more battery.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe better the car is, the better you can use the battery and the bigger that gap is going to be.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not like their car is one second ahead; the car is probably three or four tenths better, and then the engine works three or four tenths better as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri. (AP Photo\/Scott Barbour)Source: AP<\/p>\n
McLaren is experiencing the disadvantage of not having its own power unit.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to understand how to [us the power unit], he said. \u201cMercedes have obviously understood that … because they\u2019re a good team and it\u2019s also their own engine.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve understood more than we have. We\u2019ll get there. It just takes a bit of time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Team boss Andrea Stella took the optimistic position, saying that Mercedes proved there was lap time available to McLaren if it could master the power unit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s partly good news, because it means that there\u2019s a lot of lap time available if you give the right input from a driving point of view and you do the right exploitation from a control systems point of view and programming,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of lap time available.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt took qualifying \u2014 it took everyone being in the same condition on track, same power unit, to actually have enough of a reference to understand what is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing a customer team doesn\u2019t put you certainly on the front foot. This doesn\u2019t have to do with the hardware; this has more to do with learning about the hardware and identifying the best way to exploit it.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s worth noting, for example, that Pierre Gasly\u2019s fastest lap, despite being almost two seconds slower than Russell\u2019s, showed almost nothing separating the two on top speed down the back straight.<\/p>\n
After one race it looks like Mercedes has an all-round advantage, but McLaren could still be closest \u2014 and much closer than it looked in qualifying \u2014 if it can get its approach right.<\/p>\n
Max CRASHES OUT in Q1 to start 2026 | 01:23<\/p>\n
NEW CARS PANNED IN QUALI FLOP<\/p>\n
With qualifying complete, we finally have our first real look at how the 2026 car performs.<\/p>\n
The response among the drivers is almost universal, and it isn\u2019t positive.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me it\u2019s not a surprise,\u201d Verstappen said after weeks of slating the regulations. \u201cI\u2019m definitely not having fun at all with these cars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite being less than four seconds slower than last year\u2019s pole \u2014 within the normal band for a rules change \u2014 the fundamentals of qualifying have changed.<\/p>\n
Albert Park\u2019s fastest corners \u2014 turn 6 and the turn 9-10 chicane \u2014 have had their challenge eviscerated.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s because much of the engine power is redirected to charge the battery through the quick corners, meaning the drivers are approaching them well within the grip limit. This is happening because 0.1 seconds sacrificed in a fast corner can pay greater dividends when deployed down the straights as extra battery power.<\/p>\n
When this is happening \u2014 \u2018super clipping\u2019 in F1 parlance \u2014 the car is effectively operating with 150 kilowatts rather than its maximum 750 kilowatts.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just automatic engine processes either. Drivers are having to constantly manage their speed to ensure the battery is always within the right window of charge to complete the fastest lap \u2014 that is, fast overall, not fast from corner to corner.<\/p>\n
Asked if the new car was is fun to drive, Piastri replied pointedly: \u201cIt\u2019s different.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everyone can see the state of things. I think it will probably improve a bit, but there are clearly some fundamental things that won\u2019t be very easy to fix, and I don\u2019t really know what we do about that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for me the understanding of things is okay \u2014 I feel like I know more or less what I can do, what I can\u2019t do \u2014 it\u2019s just that, in an ideal world, would you be doing the things that we can and can\u2019t do? Probably not.\u201d<\/p>\n
Norris was more direct.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve come from the best cars ever made in Formula 1 and the nicest to drive to probably the worst,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everyone knows what the issues are. It\u2019s just the fact it\u2019s a 50-50 split [between combustion and electrical energy]. It just doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe fact you decelerate so much before corners, you have to lift everywhere to make sure the [battery] pack\u2019s at the top \u2014 if the pack\u2019s too high, you\u2019re also screwed \u2014 it\u2019s just difficult. But it\u2019s what we have.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t feel good as a driver, but I\u2019m sure George is smiling, so it doesn\u2019t really matter in the end of the day. You\u2019ve just got to maximise what you get given.\u201d <\/p>\n
Asked if the cars had any redeeming features, he replied: \u201cNot really, no.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamilton Avoids 300km\/h Disaster! | 00:45<\/p>\n
Hamilton said he liked the cars but that the engines were anti-F1.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe power\u2019s good when you\u2019ve got it, it\u2019s just it doesn\u2019t last,\u201d said the seven-time champion. \u201cIt\u2019s completely against what Formula 1 is about \u2014 flat out, full attack, and we\u2019re lifted and coasting and stuff.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat element is not very good, and I don\u2019t think the drivers particularly like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlos Sainz was on the same wavelength.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s clear that so far no one is happy,\u201d he said. \u201cThe only thing we feel is there seems to be a lot of plasters on top of another to try and solve the fundamental issue \u2014 that I think this 50-50 hybrid system is giving us a lot of headaches.\u201d<\/p>\n
Drivers reportedly engaged in a lively debate at the Friday night briefing about the regulations, but realistically there\u2019s little that can be done to improve the situation. The engine formula is due to run until 2031, and while some tinkering can be done \u2014 for example, by giving drivers less electrical power, thereby making a fully charged battery last longer but at the expense of speed \u2014 the fundamental elements of it are fixed.<\/p>\n
That said, it\u2019s worth remembering a couple of things.<\/p>\n
The first is that the situation will improve with time, as teams better understand how to get the most from their power units, which themselves will be developed from year to year.<\/p>\n
The second is that Albert Park ranks among the worst circuits for energy harvesting \u2014 for keeping the battery charged. Other tracks will be far less critical. Some will require very little change to top up the battery.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s no escaping that the drivers feel they\u2019ve lost something fundamental with these rule changes. They, after all, are the one in the car, putting on the show.<\/p>\n
Their complaints must be taken seriously.<\/p>\n
HADJAR BREAKS RED BULL CURSE<\/p>\n
Isack Hadjar is occupying the most dangerous seat in Formula 1, but the young Frenchman has excelled at his first test, qualifying third as the best non-Mercedes driver at Albert Park.<\/p>\n
It puts him well ahead of teammate Max Verstappen on the grid, the Dutchman having crashed out of Q1 without a time.<\/p>\n
That combination of events ended some remarkably long droughts.<\/p>\n
Hadjar is the first Red Bull Racing driver to qualify inside the top 10 on their debut since Verstappen\u2019s Spanish Grand Prix maiden in 2016.<\/p>\n
Third on the grid is the best starting position for the second Red Bull Racing car since Sergio P\u00e9rez lined up second at the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, 588 days ago.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also the first time Verstappen has been outqualified by his teammate since the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, some 539 days ago<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, it was a very chill session,\u201d a highly relaxed Hadjar said, looking comfortable in the post-qualifying top three press conference. \u201cThere was no drama for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the first time, I think, in my small F1 career that lap after lap I found lap time, even on used tyres, so I was just building up to it.<\/p>\n
Piastri fastest in P2 at Austalian GP | 00:51<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the first time in my career it\u2019s that easy to put a car in the top 10, so then it makes the whole process a lot easier. You build up to it the way you want, you can allow yourself some mistakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of pressure, it wasn\u2019t very high, and that was good.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a sort of truism that it\u2019s easier to move up the grid because everything about a top car is better than a midfield one. Hadjar certainly seems to be revelling in that reality.<\/p>\n
It would also strongly suggest that this Red Bull Racing car is less capricious to drive for anyone without the name Verstappen.<\/p>\n
There is of course the asterisk that Verstappen could presumably have driven the car faster than Hadjar, something Russell awkwardly alluded to after qualifying.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know how incredible a driver Max is as well,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m sure Isack\u2019s done an amazing job to be in this position. Who knows where Max would have been?\u201d<\/p>\n
The history doesn\u2019t end with Hadjar.<\/p>\n
Verstappen will line up 20th, his lowest ever grand prix starting position, after locking his rear axle inexplicably into the first turn on his first attempt at a flying lap.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never experienced that in my whole life,\u201d he said. \u201cI have no idea where it comes from.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team said it would need further analysis, but links were quickly being drawn to the regenerative brakes feeding the new power unit and whether they were overeagerly attempting to charge the battery.<\/p>\n
It would be just one more reason for Verstappen to dislike the new formula \u2014 though he\u2019s far from the only one unhappy with the regulations after qualifying.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Release the sand! George Russell did an almost adequate job of hiding his great pleasure in confirming the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":525608,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[261499,12295,13273,64,63,689,261507,261488,239098,4971,90121,261506,220229,261486,261505,261508,16185,109751,261504,131166,261496,51268,81126,261491,261495,24134,261503,261502,57845,3875,841,261484,261493,261485,261497,21772,261492,25614,825,647,261490,86303,38867,677,261494,16280,18923,223968,668,261498,127081,158233,13777,261489,261501,16205,147258,2072,22305,246267,85,192126,28099,261500,261487,660],"class_list":{"0":"post-525607","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-albert-park-grand","9":"tag-andrea-kimi-antonelli","10":"tag-andrea-stella","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-australia-and-new-zealand","14":"tag-automatic-engine-processes","15":"tag-back-straight","16":"tag-battery-power","17":"tag-carlos-sainz","18":"tag-championship-favourite","19":"tag-chill-session","20":"tag-compression-ratio","21":"tag-compression-ratio-clampdown","22":"tag-compression-thing","23":"tag-control-systems-point","24":"tag-customer-team","25":"tag-david-caird","26":"tag-dominant-front-row-lockout","27":"tag-dominant-pole-position","28":"tag-domination-rumours","29":"tag-engine-formula","30":"tag-engine-performance","31":"tag-engine-power","32":"tag-final-belter","33":"tag-front-row-lockout","34":"tag-fundamental-elements","35":"tag-fundamental-issue","36":"tag-fundamental-things","37":"tag-george-russell","38":"tag-grand-prix","39":"tag-grand-prix-starting","40":"tag-grip-limit","41":"tag-hybrid-system","42":"tag-ideal-world","43":"tag-lap-time","44":"tag-leads-dominant","45":"tag-maiden-world-championship","46":"tag-max-verstappen","47":"tag-melbourne","48":"tag-next-best-car","49":"tag-non-mercedes-driver","50":"tag-norris","51":"tag-oceania","52":"tag-pole-mix","53":"tag-pole-position","54":"tag-power-unit","55":"tag-power-unit-regulations","56":"tag-press-conference","57":"tag-prix-starting-position","58":"tag-provisional-pole","59":"tag-qualifying-segment","60":"tag-qualifying-session","61":"tag-real-challenger","62":"tag-red-bull-curse","63":"tag-rule-changes","64":"tag-rules-change","65":"tag-sergio-perez","66":"tag-seven-time-champion","67":"tag-spectacular-crash","68":"tag-sports","69":"tag-starting-position","70":"tag-straight-line-speed","71":"tag-sudden-improvement","72":"tag-top-qualifying-teams","73":"tag-victoria"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525607","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=525607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/525607\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/525608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=525607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=525607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=525607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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