{"id":527696,"date":"2026-03-08T23:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T23:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/527696\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T23:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T23:54:10","slug":"f1-drivers-split-on-chaos-under-new-rules-in-melbourne-season-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/527696\/","title":{"rendered":"F1 Drivers Split on ‘Chaos’ Under New Rules in Melbourne Season Opener"},"content":{"rendered":"

Formula 1 drivers had mixed views on the 2026 regulations in the wake of the season opener in Australia, which saw a one-two finish for Mercedes.<\/p>\n

While that was the expected result after qualifying, the start was enlivened by both Mercedes drivers getting away badly from the grid.<\/p>\n

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Poleman George Russell<\/a> spent the early laps trading the lead with Ferrari\u2019s Charles Leclerc, as for the first time, we saw the consequences of drivers deploying energy differently, and also using the overtake button that gives them a boost when within a second of the car ahead.<\/p>\n

A driver who made a pass was instantly vulnerable to being overtaken again straight away. It made for quite a spectacle in the initial lead battle, with similar action repeated down the field over the course of the race.<\/p>\n

However, it prompted obvious questions about what kind of racing we were seeing, and how artificial it potentially was.<\/p>\n

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“There\u2019s definitely more opportunity, and you do have to be more strategic,” said race winner Russell. “Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve got 100% of battery, you\u2019ve got to split that between four straights. No team is splitting that 25% per straight. Some teams are doing it more on one straight, some other teams are doing it more on the other, and if you use your overtake mode, your boost button, you will pass the driver in one straight and he will then pass back. It was dicey for the two of us, but I hope you enjoyed it.”<\/p>\n

Russell suggested that things won\u2019t be the same at every track, as how the action unfolds will depend on the layout.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s different, it\u2019s definitely different,” he said. “But I think the interesting thing with these regs is every track we go to, they\u2019re not always going to be like this. We\u2019re going to Shanghai next where you\u2019ve got one big, long straight, so the majority of drivers will be using their energy on that one straight. You don\u2019t need to divide it up between four like you do here in Melbourne.”<\/p>\n

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While Leclerc enjoyed being part of the lead fight<\/a>, he made it clear that it had some reservations about how it was dominated by battery usage.<\/p>\n

“I just think that it will definitely change the way we go about racing and overtaking,” said the Ferrari driver. “Before, it was more about who is the bravest at braking the latest. Maybe now there\u2019s a bit more of a strategic mind behind every move you make because every boost button activation, you know you\u2019re going to pay the price big time after that, and so you always try and think multiple steps ahead to try and end up eventually first. But it\u2019s a different way to go about racing, for sure.”<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, perhaps the most positive reaction came from fourth-placed Lewis Hamilton, who had a grandstand seat to watch the early Leclerc\/Russell battle. Hamilton had previously made it clear that he didn\u2019t like the regulations.<\/p>\n

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“I personally loved it,” he said. \u201cI thought the race was really fun to drive. I thought the car was really fun to drive. I watched the cars ahead; there was some good battling back and forth. So far, so good.”<\/p>\n

Asked about the views expressed by others, he said: “I don\u2019t know, you\u2019ll have to ask them. I thought it was awesome. But again, they\u2019re all further down the line; with 20 cars ahead of you, it may seem different. From my position, I thought it was great.”<\/p>\n

There was certainly a split post-race with those who had the strongest races expressing more support, but plenty of big names were not happy.<\/p>\n

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There were two main strands to their view. They questioned the artificial nature of the race, and also had safety concerns for a variety of reasons, including the stability of the cars with their wings open in straight-line mode, and the prospect of cars slowing ahead while harvesting energy.<\/p>\n

There was a close call at the start when Liam Lawson didn\u2019t get away and was nearly hit by Franco Colapinto, while Oscar Piastri didn\u2019t even make the grid<\/a> after a burst of power caught him out and he crashed on a pre-race reconnaissance lap. The biggest critic has been Max Verstappen, and despite starting from the back after a qualifying crash and charging up to sixth, he was not impressed by the way the racing unfolded.<\/p>\n

\"f1<\/p>\n

“I want it to be better than this,” Verstappen hopes for improvement under the new rules package. Anni Graf – Formula 1 – Getty Images<\/p>\n

In Friday\u2019s drivers\u2019 briefing, the Dutchman used colourful language to express his thoughts to FIA officials, and the race didn\u2019t change his mind.<\/p>\n

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“Chaos,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t really find the right words for it, I think. For me, of course, I passed them regardless, because we were like two seconds a lap faster. But I don’t really know what word to use.”<\/p>\n

Regarding possible changes, he said: \u201cThey ask questions, and I give my opinion of what I would like to see, and what I think is better for the sport, because I do careabout it. I do love racing, and I want it to be better than this, right? So let’s see whatwe can do. I hope that even during this year, maybe we can come up with some different solutions, so it becomes more enjoyable for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lando Norris echoed Verstappen\u2019s initial description and also stressed safety concerns.<\/p>\n

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“It’s chaos,” he said. “You’re going to have a big accident, which is a shame that you’re driving and we’re the ones just waiting for something to happen and something to go quite horribly wrong, and that’s not a nice position to be in.”<\/p>\n

He doesn\u2019t believe things can be improved: \u201cThere’s nothing we can really do about that now. It’s a shame. It’s very artificial, depending on just what the power unit decides to do and randomly does at times, just get overtaken by five cars, or you can just do nothing about it sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Melbourne was a sample of one \u2013 we now need to see what happens in Shanghai next weekend to get a better handle on how things work.<\/p>\n

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\u201cEveryone\u2019s very quick to criticise things,\u201d said Russell. \u201cYou need to give it a shot. We\u2019re 22 drivers. When we\u2019ve had the best cars and the least tyre degradation and when we\u2019ve been happiest, everyone moans the racing\u2019s rubbish. Now, drivers aren\u2019tperfectly happy, and everyone said it was an amazing race. So you can\u2019t have it all, and I think we should just give it a chance and see after a few more races.”<\/p>\n

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