2026 Formula One Season Thread

[pachyderm]

It might turn out to be just 10 for Australia - it depends if Aston Martin turn up to race. There's rumours around that says they won't.

No way. definitely be some sort of huge fine for not showing up.

 

[CWallace]

No way. definitely be some sort of huge fine for not showing up.

They were considering employing force majeure to cover their absence, but decided that since a lot of their freight was already on the way (since the bulk of it transits via sea) and there are indeed large fines if they do not make an appearance without a very solid reason, they would show up and meet the minimum attendance requirements.

 

[Paul1964]

They were considering employing force majeure to cover their absence, but decided that since a lot of their freight was already on the way (since the bulk of it transits via sea) and there are indeed large fines if they do not make an appearance without a very solid reason, they would show up and meet the minimum attendance requirements.

It's definitely in their interests to show up - if only to make use of the track time afforded them in the Free Practice sessions. Qualifying might prove embarrasing.

 

[Glideslope]

FIA is now saying 80km/h pit lane speed as AMR won't be in full race. 🙄

 

[pachyderm]

2001 rookie class.

 

[TheIntruder]

D'oh!

To have such flaws in the fundamental engine design is embarrassing for Honda.

I can imagine the steam shooting out Papa Stroll's ears at the moment.

2001 rookie class.

That Montoyer fella didn't need to be shoehorned into the car in those days.


Still no F1 channel on my iPad's ATV app on OS18. Guess I'll have to AirPlay it if I want to watch at my desk.

 

[headlessmike]

D'oh!

To have such flaws in the fundamental engine design is embarrassing for Honda.

I can imagine the steam shooting out Papa Stroll's ears at the moment.



That Montoyer fella didn't need to be shoehorned into the car in those days.


Still no F1 channel on my iPad's ATV app on OS18. Guess I'll have to AirPlay it if I want to watch at my desk.

Fernando and Lance on the formation lap:

 

[CWallace]

There was a report that Pirelli was going to remove the sidewall compound colors, but this appears to have been fake news (at least for Melbourne) as media at the track report it is still present.

Something that is confirmed true is that the state of the energy store will not be broadcast on the live feed.

And here is the 2026 Formula One Opening (you will need to click-through to YouTube):

 

[pachyderm]

So I never bothered to look at the schedule. Which race was cancelled?

There was a report that Pirelli was going to remove the sidewall compound colors, but this appears to have been fake news (at least for Melbourne) as media at the track report it is still present.

Why?

 

[CWallace]

So I never bothered to look at the schedule. Which race was cancelled?

I am not aware of any cancellations. In addition to the current concerns around Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, there has been concern for some time that the Madring in Madrid would not be ready in September to host the Spanish Grand Prix.

Why?

The reason given was so that teams would not know the tire strategy of their competitors. But since nobody runs more than two compounds in a race, it should be easy enough to figure it out based on lap times and stint lengths.

So all it would do is confuse the viewers.

 

[pachyderm]

I am not aware of any cancellations. In addition to the current concerns around Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, there has been concern for some time that the Madring in Madrid would not be ready in September to host the Spanish Grand Prix.




The reason given was so that teams would not know the tire strategy of their competitors. But since nobody runs more than two compounds in a race, it should be easy enough to figure it out based on lap times and stint lengths.

So all it would do is confuse the viewers.

"F1 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Races Cancelled Amid Middle East Conflict​

Formula 1’s 2026 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix have been officially cancelled due to the ongoing US–Israel–Iran conflict and the resulting instability in the Gulf region GRAND PRIX 247. The decision follows multiple missile strikes on Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, which have disrupted travel and created serious safety concerns"

 

[Paul1964]

"F1 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Races Cancelled Amid Middle East Conflict​

Formula 1’s 2026 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix have been officially cancelled due to the ongoing US–Israel–Iran conflict and the resulting instability in the Gulf region GRAND PRIX 247. The decision follows multiple missile strikes on Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, which have disrupted travel and created serious safety concerns"

This is not confirmed by F1 yet. Though I do expect it to be very likely.

The news is not yet formally confirmed, but GrandPrix247 has got to know, based on information received from our reporter in the Australian Grand Prix paddock, Agnes Carlier, that these two races will not happen.

 

[Pezimak]

FYI Aston Martin are planning on running TWO laps of the GP as they are contracted to race, and then they will leave.... talk about a screw up. Newey's skills certainly seem to have left him at the moment, will be VERY interesting if he stop blaming Honda and fixes it by the end of the season?

 

[Paul1964]

FYI Aston Martin are planning on running TWO laps of the GP as they are contracted to race, and then they will leave.... talk about a screw up. Newey's skills certainly seem to have left him at the moment, will be VERY interesting if he stop blaming Honda and fixes it by the end of the season?

Stop blaming Honda? It's Honda that's totally screwed this up. Any blame on Aston Martin's part would be the decision to go with Honda in the first place.

 

[Pezimak]

Stop blaming Honda? It's Honda that's totally screwed this up. Any blame on Aston Martin's part would be the decision to go with Honda in the first place.

Nope, it takes two to tango mate, and Newey has messed up the design, the chassis is flawed. Do not believe the BS Aston is claiming, it is in damage control mode by getting the FIA to class it as 'dangerous' so they don't have to race a full race, and save face with their mess up with investors.

Honda and Aston were working on the car together, Newey joins in at the last minute, next thing you know the car has major vibration issues.. that is NOT all on Honda and they have rightly claimed as such too.

 

[Pezimak]

I wouldn't mind if they just permanently removed the Middle East tracks off the calendar, but money talks in F1 so...........

 

[Paul1964]

Nope, it takes two to tango mate, and Newey has messed up the design, the chassis is flawed. Do not believe the BS Aston is claiming, it is in damage control mode by getting the FIA to class it as 'dangerous' so they don't have to race a full race, and save face with their mess up with investors.

Honda and Aston were working on the car together, Newey joins in at the last minute, next thing you know the car has major vibration issues.. that is NOT all on Honda and they have rightly claimed as such too.

Well, if they hadn't ditched Mercedes I doubt if we would be seeing this problem right now, then also we could get an accurate assessment of the Newey chassis.

 

[Pezimak]

Well, if they hadn't ditched Mercedes I doubt if we would be seeing this problem right now, then also we could get an accurate assessment of the Newey chassis.

Yes that one is on Aston, I guess politics or price? Was surprised to be honest that they did that.

 

[Glideslope]

Nope, it takes two to tango mate, and Newey has messed up the design, the chassis is flawed. Do not believe the BS Aston is claiming, it is in damage control mode by getting the FIA to class it as 'dangerous' so they don't have to race a full race, and save face with their mess up with investors.

Honda and Aston were working on the car together, Newey joins in at the last minute, next thing you know the car has major vibration issues.. that is NOT all on Honda and they have rightly claimed as such too.

Let’s not forget all the years of Honda working with Red Bull. You can’t show me a presser where the PU and Chassis were separated.

It goes both ways most of the time.

 

[CWallace]

Well, if they hadn't ditched Mercedes I doubt if we would be seeing this problem right now, then also we could get an accurate assessment of the Newey chassis.

I wonder. The super-stiff chassis is amplifying the natural vibrations of the PU and the tight packaging is also causing the PU and battery to run more hot. So we could have been seeing similar issues with the Mercedes PU.

Everyone assumed Honda was the problem with McLaren-Honda from 2014-2016, but when McLaren switched to Renault, things did not drastically improve. This finally forced McLaren to examine their own house and subsequently clean it (resulting in Éric Boullier and others being shown the door) and suddenly they started performing again.

 

[Paul1964]

Let’s not forget all the years of Honda working with Red Bull. You can’t show me a presser where the PU and Chassis were separated.

It goes both ways most of the time.

That Honda team was dispersed around Honda or otherwise went to work for RedBull PowerTrains. They're a new team starting with a clean sheet.

 

[Glideslope]

I wonder. The super-stiff chassis is amplifying the natural vibrations of the PU and the tight packaging is also causing the PU and battery to run more hot. So we could have been seeing similar issues with the Mercedes PU.

Everyone assumed Honda was the problem with McLaren-Honda from 2014-2016, but when McLaren switched to Renault, things did not drastically improve. This finally forced McLaren to examine their own house and subsequently clean it (resulting in Éric Boullier and others being shown the door) and suddenly they started performing again.

There’s allot of scuttlebutt around that AMR isn’t the only one with the harmonic resonance issues. They are simply the most effected currently. Red Bull apparently turned its PU down on Day2 due to some concerns. Mercedes is also apparently concerned somewhat. One would think failing to design with harmonic resonance not fully incorporated would be an epic failure. What if they miscalculated having to run the high RPM levels much longer than anticipated and its effects on the MGU-K? I’m not trying to give Honda a pass, but it seems like something may be brewing with others just at a much lower simmer. I haven’t read anything related to Ferrari.

Edit:Tech Stuff

 

[avro707]

The Qatar Airlines hospitality events at the Australian GP have been cancelled according to the Australian Financial Review.

“Due to the ongoing closure of Qatari airspace and the temporary suspension of Qatar Airways’ flight operations, the airline has postponed its scheduled media and partner events in Melbourne this weekend,” a spokesperson told the AFR.

 

[CWallace]

FP1 is underway and AM have confirmed that Alonso will not be taking part. They know they will not be competitive so why risk part failures or damage in an off.

Stroll ran three installation laps before parking it back in the garage and is currently almost 30 seconds off the pace halfway through the session.

 

[furbzv1]

AM looking really bad being almost 30 second off pace. Lindblad and Hadjar looking strong. Ferrari looking good as well. Don't know if they are running at 100% yet or if they are still holding back