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2026 Formula One Season Thread

FP1

Hadjar is quick. I think the RB22 is the real deal. RBPT/Ford sure sounds stout. Hope it stays together. Ferrari is sooo quick off the line. Super smart going with the small turbos. Mercedes still holding back. McLaren reset for P2.

Ruth going around the pits smelling exhaust fumes. Priceless.
 
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LEC and HAM top FP1 could this finally be Ferrari's year? Mildly surprised to see VER and HAD third and fourth. LIN impressive. Maybe with new regs there's no more 2nd RB car curse. Would be crazy if Merc is the third fastest...
 
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CWallace said:
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.
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That’s because they don’t want Alonso doing his, this is embarrassing radio announcements!
 
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Glideslope said:
Max is just warming up…. 😉
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Yeap they don't expect to win this week, but don't expect expect to lose this year either. After last year never rule out the Bull and Max lol, and this year his team mate may actually manage to be relevant too!! That'll be nice for a change.
 
Pezimak said:
Yeap they don't expect to win this week, but don't expect expect to lose this year either. After last year never rule out the Bull and Max lol, and this year his team mate may actually manage to be relevant too!! That'll be nice for a change.
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Apparently a gearbox sensor issue on pit lane. So, PU is still looking good. I still think Mercedes has allot left in the PU.
 
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Pezimak said:
After last year never rule out the Bull and Max lol, and this year his team mate may actually manage to be relevant too!! That'll be nice for a change.
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And Lindblad is looking great in the Racing Bulls, as well.

Glideslope said:
I still think Mercedes has allot left in the PU.
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I mean it is still so early, but Mercedes and Ferrari look like the pace-setters. McLaren and Red Bull slot in below them and then probably Racing Bulls and Haas.
 
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CWallace said:
Well this is a bit damning for AM leadership...

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Just goes from bad to worse. I find it odd that AMR was not aware of the personal charges at HRC prior to moving forward from Mercedes.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see some legal action at some point if information was withheld.
 
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CWallace said:
Looks like the FIA has decided that if Bahrain and/or Saudi Arabia are cancelled, there will be no replacement races held in April. So we would have a one month break between Japan and Miami.

www.the-race.com

No F1 races in April? Why Bahrain and Saudi wouldn't be replaced

F1 is unlikely to slot in last-minute replacements for the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs if they cannot take place next month
www.the-race.com www.the-race.com
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Smart move by the FIA for once. Let’s hope rounds 23/24 won’t be at risk.
 
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Apple fanboy said:
Aston Martin will be pleased. They can rebuild!
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With all their correlation issues, they probably need all the track time they can get. I am not sure the two filming days will really help in that regard since they are limited to 100km per session and they use really hard tires which might even exacerbate the chassis vibrations.
 
CWallace said:
With all their correlation issues, they probably need all the track time they can get. I am not sure the two filming days will really help in that regard since they are limited to 100km per session and they use really hard tires which might even exacerbate the chassis vibrations.
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Exacerbating the chassis vibrations might not be a bad thing if it helps them find the source.
 
Trick is, can George repeat that in Q3? He was having a heck of a time getting out of P13 on his prior laps, so I have a feeling that was a "perfect lap" thanks to being able to maximize both drafting and harvesting due to the field being all packed together.
 
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Well Mercedes is clearly the package to have. It's 2014 all over again, but at least after six races the other PU suppliers will get two bites at the upgrade apple.
 
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Mercedes is incredible. What a package!! Congratulations to George. It’s going be his WDC to loose. 2014 rewind. A full second up on everyone, and I’ll wager there was more in the tank. Hats off to the team getting Kimi back in the show. Incredible rebuild.

Great drives by the younger drivers. Kimi and Isack looking strong. Both Racing Bulls in Q3, Audi in the Top 10 in Qualifying. Very impressed with Audi so far.

Glad Max is ok after the MGU-K failure. Hopefully he can have a good race tomorrow. The RB22 still looks good IMO.

I think the race will be closer.
 
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Glideslope said:
Mercedes is incredible. What a package!! Congratulations to George. It’s going be his WDC to loose. 2014 rewind. A full second up on everyone, and I’ll wager there was more in the tank. Hats off to the team getting Kimi back in the show. Incredible rebuild.

Great drives by the younger drivers. Kimi and Isack looking strong. Both Racing Bulls in Q3, Audi in the Top 10 in Qualifying. Very impressed with Audi so far.

Glad Max is ok after the MGU-K failure. Hopefully he can have a good race tomorrow. The RB22 still looks good IMO.

I think the race will be closer.
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I hope so... I can see the Mercs running off in the distance though...
 
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pachyderm said:
I hope so... I can see the Mercs running off in the distance though...
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I think Mercedes is stronger the lower the fuel loads. I think Ferrari will have an incredible start. Hopefully we can have some racing between all the drivers complaining about the cars and rules. Stefano scolding them for saying the quiet part out loud, and all that excitement as they LiCos in those corners….. 😉. /s
 
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We’re back! Good to let all the speculation end and see some hard data.
Mercedes really have a big advantage as many expected. A lot has been made of the gap, but I suspect Max might have got closer had his rear axle not locked up. Glad he was okay.

Ferrari looked good, but what advantage will they get at the start over those in front with their small turbo? Could make the race start interesting.
Alonso wasn’t as off the pace as some had said.
 
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I expected George to win before the weekend started and I am doubly sure it will happen now. I believe of all the drivers he has best-mastered the energy strategy so he never finds himself out of battery power and therefore is significantly faster than anyone else - Ruth Buscombe on F1TV said he had 20km/h on the field at the end of the longest Straight Mode section. So I think he will "pull a Max" and be 30 seconds up the road by the time the first pit stops happen and therefore cannot be undercut nor overcut.
 
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