Formula 1 2026 Season Discussion

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#3466158 3-Mar-2026 10:17

tdgeek:

Im picking Max to do well, RBR seems quick, and he will have read the rules 20 times by now, so IMO he has the best chance of nailing the battery/ICU challenges

Liam to do well, now that Marko is out, he can work with normal people making normal decisions and normal motivational factors

Happy if Ferrari step up

Very similar vibes here too.

Heard Max is already next level thinking, revving the car into/through corners most aren't to use the period to charge the battery etc.

On that note still don't think the racing game complexity of the new car tech is in alignment with classic pure racing. Remains to be scene but a lot of harvesting work to charge a battery that's depleted by 1/3-1/2 of the main straight seems just distracting to be honest.

Ferrari have some quality design thinking going on, with a few unique features and a rear winglet that apparently took a while to get approved and can't be copied quickly.

Aston quite aggressive design (vibes of no side pod Mercedes car from a while back) but their Honda engine is a real piece of xx apparently.

Mercedes seem quick, expect them and McLaren to feature. hASS apparently doing ok too, Williams not so much.

Some new teams are new and some aren't - Audi a rename and Cadillac new? Heard Cadillac staff are exhausted due to timezone differences being based in America and needing comms to UK?

Will all shake out soon enough, not long to go now.

tdgeek

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#3466180 3-Mar-2026 10:44

Jaxson:

tdgeek:

Im picking Max to do well, RBR seems quick, and he will have read the rules 20 times by now, so IMO he has the best chance of nailing the battery/ICU challenges

Liam to do well, now that Marko is out, he can work with normal people making normal decisions and normal motivational factors

Happy if Ferrari step up

Very similar vibes here too.

Heard Max is already next level thinking, revving the car into/through corners most aren't to use the period to charge the battery etc.

On that note still don't think the racing game complexity of the new car tech is in alignment with classic pure racing. Remains to be scene but a lot of harvesting work to charge a battery that's depleted by 1/3-1/2 of the main straight seems just distracting to be honest.

Ferrari have some quality design thinking going on, with a few unique features and a rear winglet that apparently took a while to get approved and can't be copied quickly.

Aston quite aggressive design (vibes of no side pod Mercedes car from a while back) but their Honda engine is a real piece of xx apparently.

Mercedes seem quick, expect them and McLaren to feature. hASS apparently doing ok too, Williams not so much.

Some new teams are new and some aren't - Audi a rename and Cadillac new? Heard Cadillac staff are exhausted due to timezone differences being based in America and needing comms to UK?

Will all shake out soon enough, not long to go now.

Yep, we all used to complain about fuel saving mode. Different reasons but same fuel saving mode will be in play. At least the new fuel saving mode will vary by team and driver, and parts of the track, might be interesting. "Might be" :-)

Benoire

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#3466183 3-Mar-2026 10:46

I'm looking forward to seeing how the Ferarri decisions about turbo size will impact them compared to the rest who have taken a larger turbo. This will be interesting to see from a start perspective how they maintain boost pressure given the timeframe for the light starts remains the same as the smaller turbo will help build pressure quicker but it won't be as effective on the longer straights where the larger turbo will generate more power... Also interested to see how the turbo size dictates battery performance out of corners and gear selection too; the reason why Max was running low gears was due to the need to generate turbo pressure for electrical recovery but that introduces more wheel spin on exit.

Fascinating reset of the regs and either ferarri have done a master stroke or they've gone the wrong way and will spend the next window checking on their performance and where it may be...

mudguard

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#3466287 3-Mar-2026 11:58

I must admit I'm not that excited about the season, I think we all know the rule changes won't bring quality racing in the first season, it will bring some changes sure, but wheel to wheel racing? I just don't know./

I don't watch Drive to Survive, it's a format I just can't stand, how much of it gives genuine insight vs created drama for those who watch?

I tend to be a manufacturer fan (Honda) so perhaps less excited given their prospects. It does seem ludicrous that they've had this time to prepare and yet seem to be behind already. I can't help thinking that there is most likely a chassis/change spec that has been sprung on them (ala McLaren) which has put them back.

Nonetheless I still look forward to the first race, everything goes out the window when the lights go out.

thermonuclear

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#3466490 3-Mar-2026 15:54

Any Geekzoners heading to Melbourne for the GP? Let us know if you spy any Lawson-specific merch on your travels.

I get the Racing Bulls marketing guff sent to my email every other day it seems but no signs of any personalized items for either driver so far that I can see.

I sent them off an email to express my general displeasure at their disinterest in running off a few caps and teeshirts with Lawson's race number on and got a generic response back which looked very AI.

As a few Hadjar items made it into the webstore last season it seems they only respond to on-track success when making their merch manufacturing decisions. I can't imagine the minimum order size with New Era is that large that they couldn't run off a few thousand caps with the number 30 on them and turn a profit, especially at the prices they are now asking for them.

JPNZ

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#3466653 4-Mar-2026 09:59

Interesting point I saw this morning. Running the same timeslot as SS1 looks like Sky are putting the GP on for free on their Sky Open Channel

FIA Formula 1: Australian GP (G)

Sunday 8 March | 4:55 PM - 7:30 PM | Channel 4 (Sky Open)

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#3466657 4-Mar-2026 10:10

You reading about Aston Martin's issues?

Plan is to do the bare minimum: meet the 107 per cent rule to qualify for the grid, then retire the cars after just a few laps of the Albert Park Circuit.

Honda has revealed that the V6 engine's vibrations are effectively rattling the chassis-housed hybrid battery to pieces, leading to repeated system failures.

Furthermore, team principal and technical chief Adrian Newey reportedly believes that the internal combustion engine is critically underpowered, falling some 80hp short of the output needed to effectively recharge the battery.

thermonuclear

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#3466702 4-Mar-2026 14:01

Jaxson:

You reading about Aston Martin's issues?

Yes, saw this being suggested by a few media sources though opinion seems split about whether they will just do the bare minimum to avoid FIA sanctions. I saw one report suggesting they might not even make it to qualification, so bad is the car.

I have to own up to a slight smile at Aston Martin's predicament. I know there is a lot of support here for the team, and perhaps Alonso especially, but I can't help but feel this was a train-wreck waiting to happen. Honda has worn a fair bit of the blame, though integration between the PU and chassis looks to be just as big an issue currently.

The British press fawning over Newey incessantly when a casual observer might note how the power balance changed when Marshall turned up at McLaren from Red Bull. Stroll Snr trying to buy himself a Championship. And, the moody teenager/spoilt brat antics of Stroll Jnr, who has to be the least likeable driver in F1 for some considerable time.

So, not feeling too much sympathy for their situation. Expect Williams and Cadillac might be happy they could avoid the wooden spoon this weekend.

thewabbit

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#3466708 4-Mar-2026 14:21

thermonuclear:

Any Geekzoners heading to Melbourne for the GP? Let us know if you spy any Lawson-specific merch on your travels.

I get the Racing Bulls marketing guff sent to my email every other day it seems but no signs of any personalized items for either driver so far that I can see.

I sent them off an email to express my general displeasure at their disinterest in running off a few caps and teeshirts with Lawson's race number on and got a generic response back which looked very AI.

As a few Hadjar items made it into the webstore last season it seems they only respond to on-track success when making their merch manufacturing decisions. I can't imagine the minimum order size with New Era is that large that they couldn't run off a few thousand caps with the number 30 on them and turn a profit, especially at the prices they are now asking for them.

I'll be there! First time watching it live - picked up some (generic VCARB) merch when I was over in Brisbane a few weeks ago as the Aussies seem to get a better choice than we do

mdf

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#3466712 4-Mar-2026 14:41

thewabbit:

I'll be there! First time watching it live - picked up some (generic VCARB) merch when I was over in Brisbane a few weeks ago as the Aussies seem to get a better choice than we do

Nice! Very envious! Hope it is awesome!

F1 seems to be way bigger in Australia than it is here and has the merch to match! Last time I was in Melbourne my eldest and I spent a **long** time marvelling at an entire basement dedicated to F1 stuff. Then found another slightly bigger option just around the corner! Highly recommended if you get the chance (and suspect will be way cheaper than the equivalents at the track):

https://maps.app.goo.gl/K7DewJuBcgMU3Bs96

TwoSeven

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#3466745 4-Mar-2026 16:50

I would be interested in knowing the root cause of the harmonic vibration. I don’t think it is the engine as such, perhaps chassis configuration, or torsional load on the chassis - just guessing.

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mudguard

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#3466747 4-Mar-2026 16:59

TwoSeven:

I would be interested in knowing the root cause of the harmonic vibration. I don’t think it is the engine as such, perhaps chassis configuration, or torsional load on the chassis - just guessing.

Yeah I struggle to think it would be the engine. In theory they have test rigs.

thermonuclear

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#3466820 4-Mar-2026 20:00

thewabbit:

I'll be there! First time watching it live - picked up some (generic VCARB) merch when I was over in Brisbane a few weeks ago as the Aussies seem to get a better choice than we do

Hope you have a fantastic weekend, thewabbit! Picked a great GP for your first one, shaping as an action-packed race with all the current unknowns. Sounds like it will be the last time Melbourne is the season opener for a while also.

With all the trouble in the Middle East, there are apparently a few tickets now available from folks who can't get to Australia. Can't imagine they will be in the cheap seats though if they were flying in for the weekend.

thermonuclear

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#3467119 5-Mar-2026 19:08

The press conferences are up on F1TV and YouTube. Hulk, Bottas, Russell, Lindblad, Piastri and Hamilton are the featured drivers this weekend. F1TV's Weekend Warmup to be released at 7:30 this evening.

Benoire

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#3467120 5-Mar-2026 19:10

Right so I just upgraded from pro to premium to get the advantage of UHD but the ability to select UHD from the settings of the App on my TCL c845 powered by Google TV is greyed out. Is this normaly and the stream will shift to UHD when a race is on, or should I be able to adjust the setting within the app?

F1TV 1st tier support is terrible and assumed that I was referring to a chromecast unit running GoogleTV and not a TV with the Google TV OS.

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