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2026 Formula One Season Thread

CWallace said:
The Honda ICU and battery are clearly not ready for prime time. While not quite as bad as 2015's disaster, it is similar to 2017 - which resulted in McLaren abandoning them and returning to AMG the following season.
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Sorry to nitpick, but McLaren switched to Renault for three seasons before going back to Mercedes.

Glideslope said:
Agreed. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Andy Cowell.




It’s more Honda’s most talented engineers are now RBPT. As are a good amount of AMG engineers. The reliability cause is still unknown. Part of me wants to blame it on Newey going over the edge with packaging on his new child resulting in Honda having to run lower engine modes, along with overheating. The other part of me is just resolved to the fact that it’s DOA until the B-Spec is in the car. AMR has gearbox issues as big as the PU as well.

I am excited with the performance of the RBPT/ (Ford) in the 2026 car. It looks and sounds stout. I think reliability will be there. Max says “It’s very drivable.” That’s a good sign.

Ferrari looks good on starts and low fuel runs. They were smart to go with the small turbos. They were looking at the starts with this. Could be a huge advantage until the FIA decides to punish them for innovation. I’m not convinced on the high fuel load runs.

All that being said I fully expect to watch Mercedes pull 1+ seconds on the main straight in Australia. They haven’t run close to their highest engine modes yet, IMO. I think George is the WCD favorite, but Kimi will surprise many. Toto may have his hands full with two very fast drivers in very fast cars.
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From what I've read, Honda didn't lose too many engineers to RBPT, and the ones they did lose were mostly involved in the PU integration with Red Bull in the UK and not in the engine development itself which took place at Honda in Japan. Honda fell behind in their 2026 development due to their hesitation to commit to F1 in recent years.
 
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Maybe we abandon European start, use the US rolling start.. We have two "laps" to get up to speed.. At some point the Pole car decides to take off... race starts once you pass the start line..

This standing start, it is going to end in a fatal, we have seen this farce too many times and it always ends in someone up the rear of 2 or 3 rows in front, you cannot avoid the car.. But if we cannot have 100% reliable starts, then rolling has to be mandatory... Or every car has to prove it can be reliable for a static start 1 hour prior to each race, and if any car so much as even tries to stall, then it is a rolling start..
 
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Herdfan said:
The starts are the most exciting part of F1. Can't do away with them.
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What I worry is that with a rolling start in F1, one wrong move and a massive pileup occurs given the phenomenal acceleration of a modern F1 car. This isn't NASCAR or IndyCar on an oval, where the rolling start is generally accident free (for the most part).
 
I wonder when the official rollout of the F1 channel on the Apple TV app occurs, they'll deign to include those not on xOS 26?

Currently, the F1 channel appears on devices running 26, but not those running 18.

Can't image they won't, but the clock to the first race is ticking…
 
TheIntruder said:
I wonder when the official rollout of the F1 channel on the Apple TV app occurs, they'll deign to include those not on xOS 26?

Currently, the F1 channel appears on devices running 26, but not those running 18.

Can't image they won't, but the clock to the first race is ticking…
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It’s fully rolled out on all my devices. However, everything is on OS 26 except for my Mac. That’s on 15.7.4 and I have the features. I’m liking what I’m seeing. Let’s see how the coverage is. I can always go to the 1yr of F1 TV Premium they provided. I think there are features I’ll probably use F1 TV for initially as Apple rolls out new features. I don’t see anything on Apple TV for in car viewing.
 
Ferrari nailed this. Small diameter turbos was the trick. Can’t dictate reason to the FIA? Engineer your way around. They will have a huge advantage at the starts. Well done Ferrari.

www.the-race.com

Ferrari's outwitted its rivals with key F1 2026 engine choice

Ferrari provided lots of eye-catching moments in F1 2026 testing, including on dummy race starts. Gary Anderson explains why one of Ferrari's engine design choices has set it apart
www.the-race.com www.the-race.com
 
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Glideslope said:
Ferrari nailed this. Small diameter turbos was the trick. Can’t dictate reason to the FIA? Engineer your way around. They will have a huge advantage at the starts. Well done Ferrari.

www.the-race.com

Ferrari's outwitted its rivals with key F1 2026 engine choice

Ferrari provided lots of eye-catching moments in F1 2026 testing, including on dummy race starts. Gary Anderson explains why one of Ferrari's engine design choices has set it apart
www.the-race.com www.the-race.com
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Yes but it’s Ferrari. They will get the strategy wrong!

Also to get that advantage at the start they will need to nail qualifying.

But I’d like to see Lewis get some wins in Red to go with his others.

Still think George will be the man to beat.
 
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Apple fanboy said:
Yes but it’s Ferrari. They will get the strategy wrong!

Also to get that advantage at the start they will need to nail qualifying.

But I’d like to see Lewis get some wins in Red to go with his others.

Still think George will be the man to beat.
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Yes. It would be nice to see Lewie win a few for them. Even another title.

I'm inclined to agree... at least right now...
 
Apple fanboy said:
Yes but it’s Ferrari. They will get the strategy wrong!

Also to get that advantage at the start they will need to nail qualifying.

But I’d like to see Lewis get some wins in Red to go with his others.

Still think George will be the man to beat.
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Agreed. I have George as WDC. I'm pulling for him. If the W17E is as good as I think it is I still think he needs to win the WDC to keep Max from taking his seat in 2027. Toto still has a void to fill in his soul from letting Max go to Toro Rosso.😉

It's so hard to read Max right now. I just think Mercedes-AMG Verstappen Racing now being a Mercedes Factory Team is no coincidence (Sardinia 2025.) I do think Max wants out of Red Bull. It certainly appears Red Bull will still sponsor him as the GT3 Mercedes will have Red Bull Branding. I'm just happy he got rid of the .com after Verstappen Racing. That's enough for me in 2026. /s

I think Red Bull and McLaren are the 3-4 teams as of Australia though.
 
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Glideslope said:
Agreed. I have George as WDC. I'm pulling for him. If the W17E is as good as I think it is I still think he needs to win the WDC to keep Max from taking his seat in 2027. Toto still has a void to fill in his soul from letting Max go to Toro Rosso.😉

It's so hard to read Max right now. I just think Mercedes-AMG Verstappen Racing now being a Mercedes Factory Team is no coincidence (Sardinia 2025.) I do think Max wants out of Red Bull. It certainly appears Red Bull will still sponsor him as the GT3 Mercedes will have Red Bull Branding. I'm just happy he got rid of the .com after Verstappen Racing. That's enough for me in 2026. /s

I think Red Bull and McLaren are the 3-4 teams as of Australia though.
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Max said in a recent interview that he’s nearing the end of his F1 career and wants to spend more time with his family now that he’s a father. His dislike of the new cars isn’t helping either. Makes me think that he’s unlikely to go anywhere once his contract with Red Bull is up.
 
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Glideslope said:
Agreed. I have George as WDC. I'm pulling for him. If the W17E is as good as I think it is I still think he needs to win the WDC to keep Max from taking his seat in 2027. Toto still has a void to fill in his soul from letting Max go to Toro Rosso.😉

It's so hard to read Max right now. I just think Mercedes-AMG Verstappen Racing now being a Mercedes Factory Team is no coincidence (Sardinia 2025.) I do think Max wants out of Red Bull. It certainly appears Red Bull will still sponsor him as the GT3 Mercedes will have Red Bull Branding. I'm just happy he got rid of the .com after Verstappen Racing. That's enough for me in 2026. /s

I think Red Bull and McLaren are the 3-4 teams as of Australia though.
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I'd like to see George get a WDC too. I think he's matured into a very fast and capable driver and his attitude and persona is good for the sport. He's fast and aggressive on track and making less mistakes. He impressed in 2020 when he had that single drive in Bahrain is what was a dominant Mercedes car and has been waiting and developing for that chance again, and this might be the year. I am also liking that Ferrari may be back in the mix this year too with their smaller turbo and quicker starts. Lets hope for the teammate battle between Lewis and Charles that we are owed.

Like Mike said above, I think Max is considering an exit and I wouldn't be surprised if he does a Rosberg and retires from F1 in his prime. He's got 4 titles and his ability is cemented in the history books. His current contract might be his last.
 
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headlessmike said:
Max said in a recent interview that he’s nearing the end of his F1 career and wants to spend more time with his family now that he’s a father. His dislike of the new cars isn’t helping either. Makes me think that he’s unlikely to go anywhere once his contract with Red Bull is up.
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I agree. That’s ok. I’m a huge GT3 fan as well. He really has changed since the birth of Lily. Can almost feel it. Although I think he still has more RON 98 than blood in him. Hopefully George can be more successful. He’s very aggressive. My kind of driver.
 
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The-Real-Deal82 said:
I'd like to see George get a WDC too. I think he's matured into a very fast and capable driver and his attitude and persona is good for the sport. He's fast and aggressive on track and making less mistakes. He impressed in 2020 when he had that single drive in Bahrain is what was a dominant Mercedes car and has been waiting and developing for that chance again, and this might be the year. I am also liking that Ferrari may be back in the mix this year too with their smaller turbo and quicker starts. Lets hope for the teammate battle between Lewis and Charles that we are owed.

Like Mike said above, I think Max is considering an exit and I wouldn't be surprised if he does a Rosberg and retires from F1 in his prime. He's got 4 titles and his ability is cemented in the history books. His current contract might be his last.
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I'd love to see a few years where George, Charles, Oscar manage to win their own championship titles in battles with each other (and of course past champions and youngsters). They're exciting to watch and certainly skilled enough to take home a championship on merit. I also have a soft spot for Carlos, though he might never be in a position to race for a championship again unfortunately.
 
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I just caught a blurb on Apple News (I know) that Cadillac has named their car as the MAC26, honoring Mario Andretti. Fitting recognition for America's last F1 WDC, Indianapolis 5oo winner, Daytona 500 winner. Mario is truly one of the very best racers of all time - any car, any surface, any place.
 
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Newbie here: I just learned that Multi cam streaming is not supported on Mac, only Apple TV- is this correct? I have a five monitor Mac setup... I would be very disheartened to be limited to watching on one television :/
 
SamuraiSam33 said:
Newbie here: I just learned that Multi cam streaming is not supported on Mac, only Apple TV- is this correct? I have a five monitor Mac setup... I would be very disheartened to be limited to watching on one television :/
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I know it’s not supported on my Mac’s running 15.7.4. Someone running Tahoe needs to comment. I’m not going near Mac OS 26. You could use the 1yr F1TV Premium subscription that Apple provides and run multiple view on Chrome for Mac. Can’t watch it with Safari.

9to5mac.com

Here's how Apple will showcase F1 across Apple TV, Apple Music and more - 9to5Mac

The Formula 1 season kicks off next weekend, and it marks the start of Apple’s exclusive broadcast partnership in the...
9to5mac.com 9to5mac.com


Edit:Typo
 
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fmenard said:
I just caught a blurb on Apple News (I know) that Cadillac has named their car as the MAC26, honoring Mario Andretti. Fitting recognition for America's last F1 WDC, Indianapolis 5oo winner, Daytona 500 winner. Mario is truly one of the very best racers of all time - any car, any surface, any place.
Click to expand...

But his son is one of the biggest whiners in motorsports. LOL
 
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