MELBOURNE.- A new era in Formula 1 launches this weekend, with Lando Norris starting the defense of his world title and cadillac debuting in a Australian Grand Prix uncertain prognosis and that will test the impact of the profound changes in the regulations.
As the first race of the year, the Australian GP is usually full of surprises. Last year, for example, Norris, starting from pole with his McLarenwas the winner, narrowly beating Max Verstappen (Red Bull) in a test held under a downpour that caused the safety car to enter on several occasions due to the numerous accidents that occurred.
This year it does not seem that the weather will have an influence, but there will be as many or more variables to manage after a profound reform of the regulations, which affects both the engines and the chassis of the cars.
With hybrid engines in which half of the power will be provided by a thermal engine and the other half by an electric one, drivers will have to learn to manage the energy of the batteries, which led Verstappen to define the new cars as “Formula E on steroids.”
Getting the battery to work
The British Norris, who won the most recent championship in the last race in Abu Dhabisaid in preseason that the new cars are not as fun to drive.
“A lot of driving is about just trying to get the battery working properly and less about how you, as a driver, can get the most out of the car,” he said.
Then he added: “I’m still having fun and it’s still the job I love to do.”
All these uncertainties make the 2026 Australian GP one of the races that has raised the most expectations in recent years, while the drivers work to get the most out of the new cars.
Another novelty is the increase in the grid, which goes from 10 to 11 teams and from 20 to 22 drivers, with the entry of Cadillac into the championship, whose hopes are supported by the experienced duo of drivers formed by Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
The pre-season tests in Barcelona and Bahrain showed that the four big teams (McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes) seem in a position to continue dominating, but it is also common for the teams to hide their cards in these tests and it is not until Melbourne when the true potential of each car is seen.
As well as defending the drivers’ title with Norris, McLaren also holds the constructors’ crown and team boss, Zak Brownis convinced that they will be in the fight again, although with reservations: “I think we will be among the big four, but I don’t think we will be in front of those four. It is going to be a long season with a lot of development.”
mercedes caught attention in Bahrain with a high number of laps and fast times, which has led to a consensus in the paddock that they could be the team to beat in Melbourne.
Feeling of speed
George Russellwho once again has as a partner Kimi Antonelliadmitted that he has a good “feeling” with the car.
“The new engines are fast and we are making progress day by day, although we have to improve reliability,” explained the Briton.
Although Verstappen initially attacked the new cars, as the start of the World Championship has approached, the four-time world champion has softened his message: “In general I am very happy with the car, we don’t have too many problems, so so far it has been going well.”
Red Bull, which will have the young Frenchman Isaac Hadjar as second pilot, he has stopped using the engines Sling from previous years and has developed its own engine for the first time, in association with the giant ford.
Ferrari seems to have left last year’s nightmare behind and to have straightened the course, which has made the atmosphere at the Scuderia much more positive and its drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton dream of fighting again for victories.
“Personally, I feel like I’m in the best place I’ve been in a long time. It’s an exciting time with this new generation of cars,” Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, said.
The Briton, a two-time winner in Melbourne, is still chasing a first podium with the Scuderia.
