Apple fanboy
macrumors Ivy Bridge
Also I’m not sure how many years Max will be in F1. So if Mercedes drop either driver they will only be getting a stop gap.
It’s pretty obvious they will win this year and most likely next.
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2026 Formula One Season Thread
- Thread starter The-Real-Deal82
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It’s pretty obvious they will win this year and most likely next.
CWallace
macrumors G5
Toto was experiencing incredible FOMO over the Ground Effect Era as Max romped all over his team and racked up four WDCs in succession. He fast-tracked Kimi in the hope he would be the next Max and, so far, it looks like he may very well be. That has likely significantly tamped down his interest in Max and Max no longer has the leverage to dictate terms to Toto.
I believe he is willing to do that, but I also believe he wonders if Red Bull (both the team and corporate) have the will and the ability to rise up to the challenge in the near term. They've lost a significant number of very senior people over the past couple of years and that seems to be having a clear effect on both design and development of the chassis. RBFPT have delivered them an excellent engine, which is no doubt helping compensate for the chassis shortfalls, but with new engineers and a budget cap, how quickly can Red Bull develop the car into a contender?
CWallace
macrumors G5
As we head into Spa, most teams are very concerned about energy management. There are concerns that the cars will empty their battery packs in Sector 1 and have to either significantly super-clip along the Kemmel Straight (putting them at risk of being passed) or enter Sector 2 with limited recharge opportunities, which will hurt them in Sector 3 climbing through Blanchimont. And the FIA is likely not helping by adding a fifth straight mode section leading into Eau Rouge.
Ferrari is hoping to bring a revised macarena wing that opens the gap even more and they have also tweaked their blown exhaust wing, the combination said to add an extra 11 km/h at the end of the longest straights. That should be fun during Friday practice if the projected rain arrives. 😱
Ferrari is hoping to bring a revised macarena wing that opens the gap even more and they have also tweaked their blown exhaust wing, the combination said to add an extra 11 km/h at the end of the longest straights. That should be fun during Friday practice if the projected rain arrives. 😱
Glideslope
macrumors G3
I agree. He stays at Red Bull at least through 2027. I’m not sure how much sweetening there will be be in his contract. The rift between Mark and Max sure seems legitimate.
I still think 2028 is an option. Raymond hasn’t served Max well. Max had a seat at Mercedes during the Sardinia Summit in 2025. The lure of the money at Red Bull was too great.
Spa will be another giant charging station.
Glideslope
macrumors G3
Conventional Rear Wing on the RB22 today in the garage. No more Macarena.
They really need to redesign it to open like Ferrari. Let the aero assist in it’s closing.
They really need to redesign it to open like Ferrari. Let the aero assist in it’s closing.
CWallace
macrumors G5
Media speculation is that the "AMR26B" and first round of ADUO updates to the Honda RA626H could be worth north of three seconds in lap time. However, considering they were five seconds off the pole time at Silverstone... Still, it would be enough to get them out of Q1.
The "B-spec" AMR26 will arrive at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with additional chassis updates and the ADUO-updated RA626H following at the next race in Zandvoort after the Summer break. Honda is only taking one of their two ADUO update opportunities this year, but they can "bank" the second for 2027 (giving them three updates).
The "B-spec" AMR26 will arrive at the Hungarian Grand Prix, with additional chassis updates and the ADUO-updated RA626H following at the next race in Zandvoort after the Summer break. Honda is only taking one of their two ADUO update opportunities this year, but they can "bank" the second for 2027 (giving them three updates).
pachyderm
Suspended
Glideslope
macrumors G3
Watched FP3, and sorry but someone like a 7 times WDC should not be dragging a broken car half a lap.. No excuse for what he did...
pachyderm
Suspended
CWallace
macrumors G5
Looking like Kimi is going to dominate based on Free Practice times. Surprised Max is as strong as he is without the macarena rear wing, but I guess he is more confident in the car's handling and working his usual magic. Hoping one of the Ferrari can challenge for the podium in both qualifying and the race.
pachyderm
Suspended
TECH TALK – Uncovering the secrets for success at Spa
Ahead of the 2026 Belgian Grand Prix, F1 technical expert Sam Collins delves into the hidden upgrades that the teams hope will deliver glory at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Upgrades paying off?
Which idiot hired the moron ruining F2? Massive crash, car on fire, and the moron ruining F2 sits and has a fag and a long think and maybe a beer or 2 then red flags the race... Car on fire, spread over a 300m2 area, and you decide a safety car???? Really the IQ levels of FIA race management is pretty low, toddlers if they could work, would not be as bad...
Glideslope
macrumors G3
I’ll be submitting a request to the Honours Forfeiture Committee to request Lewis enter forfeiture with his Knighthood. I am undertaking this unbiased, non-political inquiry on behalf of all George Russel supporters. /s
Great drive from Max getting the donkey cart to P3. 👌
Edit: To clarify it’s satire.
Great drive from Max getting the donkey cart to P3. 👌
Edit: To clarify it’s satire.
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George needs to learn that this is nothing to cry over... He should rather drive the Sky F1 catering team bus..
George maybe is not mentally ready for F1, maybe spend a couple of decades in E Prix or Indy..
Life is not fair, time he learned about how life on the rock is, Mercs suck, move to Williams or AM, or Alpine, or Racing Balls... Sorry but he is a big boy, big boy underpants and all that.. Crying on international tv is a bit immature, and that is not good for F1 or cheese..
George maybe is not mentally ready for F1, maybe spend a couple of decades in E Prix or Indy..
Life is not fair, time he learned about how life on the rock is, Mercs suck, move to Williams or AM, or Alpine, or Racing Balls... Sorry but he is a big boy, big boy underpants and all that.. Crying on international tv is a bit immature, and that is not good for F1 or cheese..
CWallace
macrumors G5
To Russell's credit (to my eyes, at least), when interviewed he stated it was a "racing incident".
What I find amusing reading the Steward's Decision is they went into great detail about how Lewis tried to give George room and explicitly did not try and wreck him or drive him off and that Lewis' options were compromised due to the speed, location and aero and tire-loadings. And yet they then said he was fully at fault for the incident, but they issued only a five-second time penalty instead of the normal ten-second because of all the "mitigating factors".
Look, I admit I am a tifosi. But that was an asinine penalty for all the reasons the stewards stated. Charles was arguably more aggressive in his block of Oscar (though, IMO, Oscar never had the advantage and should not have pushed it) and yet the stewards were fine to call that one a "racing incident".
My guess is that the stewards felt they needed to nick Lewis because George DNF'd where Oscar just lost some bodywork. And George's DNF allowed Lewis to overtake him in the WDC, where Charles and Oscar held their relative WDC positions.
What I find amusing reading the Steward's Decision is they went into great detail about how Lewis tried to give George room and explicitly did not try and wreck him or drive him off and that Lewis' options were compromised due to the speed, location and aero and tire-loadings. And yet they then said he was fully at fault for the incident, but they issued only a five-second time penalty instead of the normal ten-second because of all the "mitigating factors".
Look, I admit I am a tifosi. But that was an asinine penalty for all the reasons the stewards stated. Charles was arguably more aggressive in his block of Oscar (though, IMO, Oscar never had the advantage and should not have pushed it) and yet the stewards were fine to call that one a "racing incident".
My guess is that the stewards felt they needed to nick Lewis because George DNF'd where Oscar just lost some bodywork. And George's DNF allowed Lewis to overtake him in the WDC, where Charles and Oscar held their relative WDC positions.
avkills
macrumors 65832
Russell cries way too much. But I knew he would as soon as he was spun off and DNF. In fact we were joking about it at the watch party this morning.
Agreed. I thought LeClerc’s incident was more “penalty worthy” than Hamilton’s. Still not a bad result for Ferrari. Better than I expected.
Apple fanboy
macrumors Ivy Bridge
What happened to on the first lap give them a bit more grace with racing incidents? I think it was a terrible decision to give a penalty to Lewis on lap one but not Charles against Oscar.
Makes about as much sense as the VAR at the WC to me!
I think George was very gracious in his post race interview. But he can’t catch a break at the moment. If it’s not an under deploying power unit, it’s a DNF.
Makes about as much sense as the VAR at the WC to me!
I think George was very gracious in his post race interview. But he can’t catch a break at the moment. If it’s not an under deploying power unit, it’s a DNF.
F1 is full of immature children of adult sizes.. That was never a penalty, George instead of crying should have "manned" up and sent the legal beagles to sue the FIA/F1 for all sorts of legal things.. Failure to perform the duty...Incompetence of duty, whatever the legal beagles dream up...
All day and twice on Sunday that was a racing accident, if anything 99.99% George carries the weight...
Then then then, hahahaha, Lewis is fined 30 000 Euro's a some of it suspended.. Lewis like every trained parrot responded as trained to do, see a light-press a lever.. He saw green and off he went, and now they fine him for being a trained driver...
The Stewards don't punish the ballend moron who maybe should never be at the track again, but no they fine the driver.. Really the FIA/F1 is beyond salvage.. This clearly shows how stupid the FIA is.. Sorry, 2nd example, the best was the safety car in F2.. Car on fire, more bits than actual car, and the morons don't go RED FLAG.. They wait and hope Santa brings great prezzies..
Oh and no one thought to say anything about Antoine Hubert??? Why not the Huber corner, the corner with no name??
All day and twice on Sunday that was a racing accident, if anything 99.99% George carries the weight...
Then then then, hahahaha, Lewis is fined 30 000 Euro's a some of it suspended.. Lewis like every trained parrot responded as trained to do, see a light-press a lever.. He saw green and off he went, and now they fine him for being a trained driver...
The Stewards don't punish the ballend moron who maybe should never be at the track again, but no they fine the driver.. Really the FIA/F1 is beyond salvage.. This clearly shows how stupid the FIA is.. Sorry, 2nd example, the best was the safety car in F2.. Car on fire, more bits than actual car, and the morons don't go RED FLAG.. They wait and hope Santa brings great prezzies..
Oh and no one thought to say anything about Antoine Hubert??? Why not the Huber corner, the corner with no name??
Paul1964
macrumors 6502
Actually that's not a bad idea.
As for lewis being unfairly penalised and fined, I wonder if there's a racial element to that ... just saying ...