Teams on edge as F1 reset faces litmus test in Australia

MELBOURNE – Formula One’s new era starts at this weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, where teams will leap into the unknown and grapple with sweeping technical changes under race conditions for the first time.

F1 has simultaneously overhauled chassis and power unit regulations for the first time in decades, posing a challenge for drivers and engineers alike while raising concerns about the quality of racing.

With near parity between electrical and combustion engines and cars running on 100 per cent advanced sustainable fuel, drivers gained some insight into the changes during winter testing. But all are in the dark about how the reset will play out when going wheel to wheel on race day.

“I’m certainly more comfortable now than I was a couple of months ago, with how to drive these cars and how to try and get the most out of them,” McLaren’s Oscar Piastri said on March 4.

“But I think there’s still the saying of, ‘You don’t know what you don’t know’.”

The Australian added that McLaren thought they had the cars worked out two months ago, only to find they had “a whole bunch of stuff” they did not understand during winter testing.

With more power generated by electricity than the 2025 engines, there is more emphasis on drivers needing to be tactical with energy deployment and regeneration.

The old drag reduction system has been replaced by a new overtake mode giving extra power for overtaking.

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull described the changes as “like Formula E on steroids” and “anti-racing”. Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali defended them and assured fans there will still be plenty of thrills.

Nevertheless, Verstappen also said that he got “goosebumps” when he first saw the new Red Bull car and he is raring to go for the season.

“It has felt like a long build-up to this point and it is exciting to finally get out racing again,” said the Dutchman, who won six of the last nine races in 2025 but narrowly lost to McLaren’s championship winner Lando Norris.

“In Bahrain, seeing the car with our own power unit getting in so many laps was very impressive... when it was finally time to come back and see the car ready to go, I did get goosebumps.”

The changes may have different effects at different circuits, leaving all teams to learn on the fly.

Piastri said Sunday’s race at Albert Park would probably showcase the more “unnatural” parts of driving.

“You know, a lot more lift and coast, a lot more kind of just driving to maximise the power unit,” he said.

“You’ve got power units that are reducing in power down the straights at different points. And there’s a lot of unknowns, a lot of challenges in there.”

The new regulations raised hopes of a more open championship and the prospect of a disruptor team emerging to force change at the top. But pre-season testing in Bahrain hinted at a familiar top four, with Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren all performing.

Whatever the pecking order, F1 race tracks will be more crowded with the addition of the new Cadillac team, although there may be more breathing room at Albert Park given Aston Martin’s pre-season troubles.

Despite the technical guidance of Adrian Newey, who joined from Red Bull, the Honda-powered team completed few laps during winter testing and have reliability problems.

The AMR26 cars will be in Australia – something of a relief for F1 management – but may race for only a few laps before retiring.

In other motor racing news, holding MotoGP’s Qatar Grand Prix in April looks “difficult” due to conflict in the Gulf region, series boss Carmelo Ezpeleta said in comments that also increased uncertainty about scheduled Formula One races.

The night race at the Lusail circuit outside Doha is scheduled for April 10 to 12, the same weekend that Formula One is due to race in nearby Bahrain.

“We have to wait. I cannot say now that we are not going. We have been talking to Qatar since what happened on Sunday. From there, we will take a decision,” Ezpeleta said. “But it’s difficult for us to go to Qatar on April 12... it’s very difficult.” REUTERS, AFP