2026 Motorsports Season
- Thread starter Mcdavis
- Start date
this was written this morning by one of the F-1 papers who follows and reports specifically on F-1
below is the storey they posted, hard to argue it.
Formula 1's bold leap into the future has thrown up more questions than answers following the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, which exposed the fundamental flaws in the 2026 regulations.
The Albert Park circuit became a showcase of everything wrong with the new hybrid formula. Cars crawled to 60 kilometres per hour on the straight between Turns 8 and 9 as batteries drained at alarming rates. Energy management, not pure speed, dictated lap times in a contradiction of what F1 represents.
Onboard footage revealed drivers lifting off when they should be attacking, transforming qualifying laps from adrenaline-fuelled sprints into calculated energy-saving exercises. The racing equivalent of Sunday driving had invaded motorsport's pinnacle.
On the grid, Liam Lawson's Racing Bulls nearly ground to a halt at the start as the turbo system failed to deliver the required punch. Only Franco Colapinto's lightning reflexes prevented a catastrophic collision.
Post-race, Lando Norris warned that serious crashes could occur in future, given the considerable speed differences, whilst the majority of the 130 overtakes were artificial rather than genuine racing battles.
The FIA now faces a difficult equation. There have been discussions on superclipping modifications, allowing cars to brake at full throttle to recharge batteries more efficiently.
Some teams advocate raising energy recovery limits to enable drivers to push harder, but this solution carries a severe cost, as lap times would plummet by several seconds.
Alternatively, limiting the battery's influence presents equally unpalatable consequences. The 50-50 engine concept cannot be overhauled overnight, meaning further changes to the cars would have to be made.
Formula 1 finds itself imprisoned by its own ambitions. These regulations lured manufacturers into the championship with promises of road-relevant technology and sustainable racing. Abandoning the formula after one season would surely trigger an exodus, potentially destroying years of investment and development.
The sport then faces a major challenge. Every proposed solution would likely create a new problem, while maintaining the status quo could erode F1's fundamental appeal.
With teams deep into 2026 development programmes and manufacturers committed to long-term strategies, F1 must somehow thread the needle between technological advancement and pure racing spectacle.
The window for major changes is rapidly closing, yet the current direction threatens to alienate the fans the sport has spent the past few years luring in.
below is the storey they posted, hard to argue it.
Formula 1's bold leap into the future has thrown up more questions than answers following the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, which exposed the fundamental flaws in the 2026 regulations.
The Albert Park circuit became a showcase of everything wrong with the new hybrid formula. Cars crawled to 60 kilometres per hour on the straight between Turns 8 and 9 as batteries drained at alarming rates. Energy management, not pure speed, dictated lap times in a contradiction of what F1 represents.
Onboard footage revealed drivers lifting off when they should be attacking, transforming qualifying laps from adrenaline-fuelled sprints into calculated energy-saving exercises. The racing equivalent of Sunday driving had invaded motorsport's pinnacle.
On the grid, Liam Lawson's Racing Bulls nearly ground to a halt at the start as the turbo system failed to deliver the required punch. Only Franco Colapinto's lightning reflexes prevented a catastrophic collision.
Post-race, Lando Norris warned that serious crashes could occur in future, given the considerable speed differences, whilst the majority of the 130 overtakes were artificial rather than genuine racing battles.
The FIA now faces a difficult equation. There have been discussions on superclipping modifications, allowing cars to brake at full throttle to recharge batteries more efficiently.
Some teams advocate raising energy recovery limits to enable drivers to push harder, but this solution carries a severe cost, as lap times would plummet by several seconds.
Alternatively, limiting the battery's influence presents equally unpalatable consequences. The 50-50 engine concept cannot be overhauled overnight, meaning further changes to the cars would have to be made.
Formula 1 finds itself imprisoned by its own ambitions. These regulations lured manufacturers into the championship with promises of road-relevant technology and sustainable racing. Abandoning the formula after one season would surely trigger an exodus, potentially destroying years of investment and development.
The sport then faces a major challenge. Every proposed solution would likely create a new problem, while maintaining the status quo could erode F1's fundamental appeal.
With teams deep into 2026 development programmes and manufacturers committed to long-term strategies, F1 must somehow thread the needle between technological advancement and pure racing spectacle.
The window for major changes is rapidly closing, yet the current direction threatens to alienate the fans the sport has spent the past few years luring in.
I watched the race, it did have some interesting aspects, more over taking, looks like cars can
atleast follow each other, but if its fake because of whos engineer set up energy harvesting the best,
it will get old fast, its not pure racing. As said above braking or coasting where you should be attacking.
Lando Norris said you spend half a lap looking at steering wheel, trying to figure out how much power you
have for next turn or straight.
I understand some big players got in the game because of this, but there has to be a better way.
atleast follow each other, but if its fake because of whos engineer set up energy harvesting the best,
it will get old fast, its not pure racing. As said above braking or coasting where you should be attacking.
Lando Norris said you spend half a lap looking at steering wheel, trying to figure out how much power you
have for next turn or straight.
I understand some big players got in the game because of this, but there has to be a better way.
AC Bill
Well-known member
Is this event televised?
AC Bill
Well-known member
I actually enjoyed the F1 race in spite of the numerous issues. There were several exciting moments.
It's going to take some time for teams and drivers to get these cars sorted. The battery boost is too short lived and is a danger in my opinion. It's like a on/off switch for a light. They should have designed a system that doesn't require re-charging as often. There is still a lot of sorting out needed.
You can see Ferrari's frustration in the Mercedes advantages. Both Lewis and Leclerc commented on the unfairness of compression ratios they apparently have. I expect there will be more FIA discussions on this aspect.
Sorry to see Hadjar's engine failure, as he was doing pretty good up till that point. Max once again proves his skills, or, has RedBull just figured the team cars out far better than others. Linblad proved he was a good choice for the RB team finishing in the top ten in his very first F1 race. He definitely has some skills.
Shanghai will offer a whole new set of challenges for the teams. That race should be interesting to say the least.
It's going to take some time for teams and drivers to get these cars sorted. The battery boost is too short lived and is a danger in my opinion. It's like a on/off switch for a light. They should have designed a system that doesn't require re-charging as often. There is still a lot of sorting out needed.
You can see Ferrari's frustration in the Mercedes advantages. Both Lewis and Leclerc commented on the unfairness of compression ratios they apparently have. I expect there will be more FIA discussions on this aspect.
Sorry to see Hadjar's engine failure, as he was doing pretty good up till that point. Max once again proves his skills, or, has RedBull just figured the team cars out far better than others. Linblad proved he was a good choice for the RB team finishing in the top ten in his very first F1 race. He definitely has some skills.
Shanghai will offer a whole new set of challenges for the teams. That race should be interesting to say the least.
Ya it’s weird for sure
I liked the passing
Lots of issues to solve , they say Melbourne is one of the worst tracks for harvesting
Guess we will see
The going from 500 bhp to 1000 bhp
And back in. An instant will take drivers and us
A bit to get used to
See if fia does anything and how teams adjust
China next week fast turn around for round 2
I liked the passing
Lots of issues to solve , they say Melbourne is one of the worst tracks for harvesting
Guess we will see
The going from 500 bhp to 1000 bhp
And back in. An instant will take drivers and us
A bit to get used to
See if fia does anything and how teams adjust
China next week fast turn around for round 2
Seems F-1 and FOM have had conversations about Melbourne,
I agree there needs to be some tweaks. The are going to get more data from China
to be sure as they said " we don't want to change something, then have to change back"
They from the beginnning realized that they would have to be more flexible than in the past
with quicker changes. From maybe how it harvests or deploys,
even if possible more power from engine, less from electrical if possible.
Also with possible two race cancellation, there could be a 5 week break after Japan,
which would give teams time for bigger changes.
Saudi Arabia & Bahrain, could be canccled F-1 being f-1 it would hurt, those are big money makes
Go figure, never mind all the other problems, where gonna lose some money
I agree there needs to be some tweaks. The are going to get more data from China
to be sure as they said " we don't want to change something, then have to change back"
They from the beginnning realized that they would have to be more flexible than in the past
with quicker changes. From maybe how it harvests or deploys,
even if possible more power from engine, less from electrical if possible.
Also with possible two race cancellation, there could be a 5 week break after Japan,
which would give teams time for bigger changes.
Saudi Arabia & Bahrain, could be canccled F-1 being f-1 it would hurt, those are big money makes
Go figure, never mind all the other problems, where gonna lose some money
AC Bill
Well-known member
Being quite busy as of late...well.. that, and my wife harboring the TV remote. She knew racing season has beginning, since I binge watched "Drive To Survive" last week. God forbid she misses Survivor... 
Anyway I hadn't yet had a chance to watch any of the recent Indy races for 2026. I was delayed watching the Miami race that I'd recorded, till just the other night. I thought it was a half decent race, with some amazing passes made. Some of these guys have big balls and take more risks than an F1 driver. Although in fairness an Indy car is generally worth less than $ 1 million, whereas an F1 car is worth $12-15 million. (Lug nuts alone are reportedly worth $50k 
)
One thing I noticed watching the race was how few accidents, especially for a street circuit, happened during the event. I felt bad for the drivers taken out on the very first lap, Ferruchi and especially Mick Schumacher, (son of famous F1 driver), in his very first Indy race. Thanks to Stingray Robb's rookie mistake of locking up the brakes. He obviously hasn't had much driving on snow and ice, or he could have released the brakes and perhaps been able to make the turn.
Then I realized Colton Herta isn't in Indy any longer, he's now crashing cars in F2.
I haven't found any TV coverage of the F2 events, but apparently he messed up in his first practice at Australia. He finished the Sprint race in 7th, and 16th in the main event. Herta is apparently hoping to become an F1 back-up driver for Cadillac, and had been doing some test driving for the Team. He seems like a fairly good driver but sometimes has the worst luck..
Anyway I hadn't yet had a chance to watch any of the recent Indy races for 2026. I was delayed watching the Miami race that I'd recorded, till just the other night. I thought it was a half decent race, with some amazing passes made. Some of these guys have big balls and take more risks than an F1 driver. Although in fairness an Indy car is generally worth less than $ 1 million, whereas an F1 car is worth $12-15 million. (Lug nuts alone are reportedly worth $50k )One thing I noticed watching the race was how few accidents, especially for a street circuit, happened during the event. I felt bad for the drivers taken out on the very first lap, Ferruchi and especially Mick Schumacher, (son of famous F1 driver), in his very first Indy race. Thanks to Stingray Robb's rookie mistake of locking up the brakes. He obviously hasn't had much driving on snow and ice, or he could have released the brakes and perhaps been able to make the turn.
Then I realized Colton Herta isn't in Indy any longer, he's now crashing cars in F2.
I haven't found any TV coverage of the F2 events, but apparently he messed up in his first practice at Australia. He finished the Sprint race in 7th, and 16th in the main event. Herta is apparently hoping to become an F1 back-up driver for Cadillac, and had been doing some test driving for the Team. He seems like a fairly good driver but sometimes has the worst luck..
AC Bill
Well-known member
More recent speculation that April's planned races for the Middle East may now be cancelled. It would nearly be impossible to reschedule races for other tracks, unless a decision is made pronto. It will be a massive money loss for all involved. Sky Sports alone would have to spend millions to re-group for TV coverage that had already been planned. I suppose teams may take advantage of the month to get more practice in, if the entire month is a write off.
I know I'd be disappointed, as watching NASCAR racing isn't near as fulfilling, perhaps other than the one in April at Talladega, and Indy has only one race planned for the month, at the street track at Long Beach on April 19th.
https://www.sportbible.com/f1/insider-saudi-arabia-bahrain-grand-prix-cancelled-355847-20260309
I know I'd be disappointed, as watching NASCAR racing isn't near as fulfilling, perhaps other than the one in April at Talladega, and Indy has only one race planned for the month, at the street track at Long Beach on April 19th.
https://www.sportbible.com/f1/insider-saudi-arabia-bahrain-grand-prix-cancelled-355847-20260309
Chinese GP starts tomorrow morning, ealry Our time,
Practice 1.20 am, sprint qualifying 4 am
Folks expect this to be a bit better than Melbourne, I suspect the teams will make adjustments.
Lets hope. A lot \of drivers speaking out about New regulations and they show up they
most in Qualifying because of the way the have to harvest.
The changed the orginal start proceedure by adding 5 seconds, to allow drivers to try and spool up turbos.
With out the HGU box, they have massive turbo lag, so they have to rev uo the turbos to get away quick.
The teams have to agree to these types of changes and did, it helped.
That said the FIA wanted to more changes to start procedure and it did not get approved,
In short Ferrari said no, they were fastest off line, they want to try and keep they advantage.
heres the funny part. Geroge Russell, ( Mercedes) great drive on one of best teams,
For the record .08 faster Qaulifying, .05 faster in race, in F-1 thats a life time.
They have figured out how t get 18-1 compression on on hot engine.
a tested cool engine that tests 16-1 the rules for engine worth 15 to 20 HP
Tema sflipped out, FIA says no new testing on engine till june,
If Merc does a 1-2 till june the Cahmpionship will be over. Anyway
Geroge has alwys been a bit whiney and now that he is in fastest car,
becoming a little B#tch LOL he calls ferrari Slefish for now alowing rule change,
while Merc gets away with Illegal engine till June LOL
Wants cake, eat it to and someone to serve him and do dishes.
Social medai lit him up LOL
Hoepfully the Chinese GP will be better, the learning curve on these cars are steep
but F-1 teams work fast, we will see big changes over next few races.
Practice 1.20 am, sprint qualifying 4 am
Folks expect this to be a bit better than Melbourne, I suspect the teams will make adjustments.
Lets hope. A lot \of drivers speaking out about New regulations and they show up they
most in Qualifying because of the way the have to harvest.
The changed the orginal start proceedure by adding 5 seconds, to allow drivers to try and spool up turbos.
With out the HGU box, they have massive turbo lag, so they have to rev uo the turbos to get away quick.
The teams have to agree to these types of changes and did, it helped.
That said the FIA wanted to more changes to start procedure and it did not get approved,
In short Ferrari said no, they were fastest off line, they want to try and keep they advantage.
heres the funny part. Geroge Russell, ( Mercedes) great drive on one of best teams,
For the record .08 faster Qaulifying, .05 faster in race, in F-1 thats a life time.
They have figured out how t get 18-1 compression on on hot engine.
a tested cool engine that tests 16-1 the rules for engine worth 15 to 20 HP
Tema sflipped out, FIA says no new testing on engine till june,
If Merc does a 1-2 till june the Cahmpionship will be over. Anyway
Geroge has alwys been a bit whiney and now that he is in fastest car,
becoming a little B#tch LOL he calls ferrari Slefish for now alowing rule change,
while Merc gets away with Illegal engine till June LOL
Wants cake, eat it to and someone to serve him and do dishes.
Social medai lit him up LOL
Hoepfully the Chinese GP will be better, the learning curve on these cars are steep
but F-1 teams work fast, we will see big changes over next few races.
AC Bill
Well-known member
I've always felt that auto racing was partly about team engineers/designers, figuring out how to make a car go faster, so it could win races. These advances have always been part of the evolution in automotive engineering.
Why isn't Ferrari's small turbo advantage being complained about to the FIA by other teams? Perhaps because the like the Mercedes engine's compression controversy, other teams could have come up with a better plan to be more competitive if they put their minds to it.
Seems like as soon as one car is faster the other teams start groaning about it. Be it aero's, wing's, brake's ride height, etc.. If you snooze you lose, is the way I see it.
I gathered that the battery charge also played a major role in the grid starts. Several drivers were complaining they arrived after the formation lap, with a low or even zero percent battery charge. Will a 5 second turbo spin up on the grid going to prevent that? So many new variables with these cars..
Why isn't Ferrari's small turbo advantage being complained about to the FIA by other teams? Perhaps because the like the Mercedes engine's compression controversy, other teams could have come up with a better plan to be more competitive if they put their minds to it.
Seems like as soon as one car is faster the other teams start groaning about it. Be it aero's, wing's, brake's ride height, etc.. If you snooze you lose, is the way I see it.
I gathered that the battery charge also played a major role in the grid starts. Several drivers were complaining they arrived after the formation lap, with a low or even zero percent battery charge. Will a 5 second turbo spin up on the grid going to prevent that? So many new variables with these cars..
To start because Ferrari’s turbo is actually leaf inside the rules, it spins up fast
Cars start with zero battery and have to harvest on out
Lap only get 40-50% charge in that lap.
I love the engineering it’s what separates F1
From most other racing g series
But currently engineers have more value than drivers in the Race.
It’s cool to see them build it, but there setting will ruin or make a drivers
Lap in the current format.
I hope the find the balance
Oh and these cars sound horrible
Sustainable fuels gives us V-10
