F1 2026

Naks said:
Ferrari might have a decent car, but the clowns in the strategy department are still clowning hard
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Im not sure they botched strategy. The pace difference from fp3 and qualifying implied a far bigger gap and the pitlane being closed in 2nd yellow was bad luck.
To finish 15s with such a pace gap with that engine advantage, imho was a strong showing, as they did finish far ahead of the rest too, while showing comparable speed all weekend.
The 2nd yellow pitlane being closed for them when went past I feel was the biggest impact.
 
I don't think the Merc has that big a pace difference like qualifying suggest.
I think with their bigger turbo and battery/software trickery to compensate for power out the corners, they can set 1 amazing lap in qualifying but its not sustainable lap after lap in a race.
We could see it in the first laps of the race as Russell ran out of battery on the straights.
 
Naks said:
Ferrari might have a decent car, but the clowns in the strategy department are still clowning hard
Click to expand...
Well they did invent an inverting rear wing. I wonder if the adjustable front wing can stick it's tongue out :unsure: ;) :laugh:
 
I think I solved Ferrari's trick for their fast starts.
That wing they have harvesting downforce from from the exhaust.
Full revs on the start give them so much more grip/traction.
blog-images_1771484844508-ferrari-exhaust-wing-2026.jpg


"Ferrari's breakthrough stems from a masterful understanding of F1's technical regulations. The exhaust wing—a small bodywork element positioned just behind the exhaust outlet—cleans the airflow exiting the diffuser by displacing turbulent exhaust gases. By directing exhaust flow strategically, this vane accelerates air over the rear wing's underside, reducing pressure and generating additional downforce.
The critical insight came from exploiting Article 9.5.1 of the technical regulations, which permits teams a degree of freedom in positioning the differential. Ferrari's engineers, led by aerodynamic director Diego Tondi, discovered that by positioning their gearbox differential at its maximum rearward position—within the permitted 60mm tolerance along the longitudinal axis—they could move the rear crash structure significantly further back. This created the necessary space and volume to position the exhaust wing where regulations previously made it impractical.

The December FIA update further expanded allowable volume in the vertical axis, providing additional room for Ferrari's diffuser extension to rise and effectively cover the exhaust. This regulatory revision, ostensibly minor, proved pivotal to Ferrari's concept."

And Why other teams cannot easily just copy it

"
The elegance of Ferrari's solution lies in its dependency on fundamental design architecture. Most teams have already committed their gearbox positioning and packaging strategies for 2026. Replicating Ferrari's exhaust wing would require wholesale structural redesign—a massive undertaking mid-season that teams cannot justify for incremental performance gains.

Additionally, Ferrari's gearbox casing had to be designed exceptionally narrow to accommodate the rearward differential position while maintaining reliability—a challenging engineering constraint most competitors avoided from the outset. This early architectural decision cannot be retrofitted easily.

Only Haas, as a Ferrari customer team receiving transferable components beyond just the power unit, possesses a realistic pathway to implementing the design. Other manufacturers face the prohibitive cost of redesigning their entire rear-end packaging structure."
 
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Wall of text stolen from here:

Ferrari's exhaust wing innovation: here's why rivals can't replicate it​

blog.f1livepulse.com

Ferrari's exhaust wing innovation: here's why rivals can't replicate it

Ferrari’s 2026 “exhaust wing” turns smart gearbox and differential packaging into a regulatory advantage, creating diffuser-cleaning downforce rivals can’t easily copy without redesigning their entire rear-end architecture.
blog.f1livepulse.com blog.f1livepulse.com
 
MuterOfWorlds said:
Im not sure they botched strategy. The pace difference from fp3 and qualifying implied a far bigger gap and the pitlane being closed in 2nd yellow was bad luck.
To finish 15s with such a pace gap with that engine advantage, imho was a strong showing, as they did finish far ahead of the rest too, while showing comparable speed all weekend.
The 2nd yellow pitlane being closed for them when went past I feel was the biggest impact.
Click to expand...

Bernie Collins predicted that they'll close the pit lane the second Bottas stopped there. How in the name of all that is holy could that clowns on the Ferrari pit wall not see that coming.
 
Craig_ said:
Bernie Collins predicted that they'll close the pit lane the second Bottas stopped there. How in the name of all that is holy could that clowns on the Ferrari pit wall not see that coming.
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The Ferraris were just past the pit lane entrance when the VSC was declared.
 
Craig_ said:
Bernie Collins predicted that they'll close the pit lane the second Bottas stopped there. How in the name of all that is holy could that clowns on the Ferrari pit wall not see that coming.
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She even explained it afterwards .... what the pitwall should have planned already ... any yellow/vsc ... come in
 
1772987821917.png
www.formula1.com

Hamilton buoyed by ‘really fun’ Australian GP

Lewis Hamilton has been left excited for what is to come after enjoying a “really fun” Australian Grand Prix, with the seven-time World Champion admitting that he wished the race could have gone on longer – particularly after only just missing out on P3 to Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc.
www.formula1.com www.formula1.com
 
i missed the race ...well most of it

i had to drop buddies off at the CT cycle tour and all

but yeah from what i see ferrari as usual messed up they strategy but atleast some good pace

merc are very fast

and max is max

mclaren might not be the fastest as yet

hadjar had a good weekend before the DNF

RB racing doing well, aston are done

but as usual its the 1st race and we used to seeing these findings
 
1773061456785.png

www.formula1.com

Verstappen explains if he's concerned by deficit to Mercedes

Max Verstappen has admitted that worrying about the competitive gap to Mercedes is “not going to change anything” after he charged to P6 from a P20 start in the Australian Grand Prix.
www.formula1.com www.formula1.com


Asked whether he was worried about how large the Silver Arrows’ early advantage is, he responded: “I can be concerned about it but it’s not going to change anything, right? I’m not concerned about it.

“We just work as a team to try and close that gap and step by step, hopefully we can be more competitive.”

Verstappen added that the race felt “okay” as he became Red Bull’s sole finisher – after starting in an impressive P3, his team mate Isack Hadjar was forced to retire from the race with smoke billowing from the car.

“Of course, we have quite a bit more pace than the midfield so I just needed to clear that cleanly, which I did,” Verstappen said. “I learned a lot also in the battles and how to use the battery and stuff so that was quite a positive thing.

“At one point I was quite by myself, just settling in. I think the two hard compounds today didn’t really work for us so a lot of degradation, a lot of graining, and that made me then of course do a two-stop.”
 

‘I’m really thrilled we can make it happen’ – Verstappen to make Nurburgring 24 Hours debut​


Max Verstappen has confirmed that he will make his debut at the Nurburgring 24 Hours in May with Mercedes, ticking off an event that has “been on my bucket list for a long time”.

The Dutchman will still be supported by Red Bull in his new endeavour, with the Milton Keynes outfit providing a livery for the Mercedes AMG-GT3 car he will field with team Winward Racing.

Verstappen will prepare for the iconic race by entering NLS2 on March 21 under the number 3, mirroring his F1 entry this season, with his participation in the midst of a busy calendar reflecting “his love for racing and his continued push to test the limits of driving”, a team statement read.

“The Nurburgring Nordschleife is a special place,” Verstappen said. “There’s no other track like it. The 24h Nurburgring is a race that’s been on my bucket list for a long time, so I’m really thrilled we can make it happen now.

“Last year, I was able to get my DMSB Permit Nordschleife and participate in NLS9, that we won. That preparation is very valuable, as we have learned a lot that we can take into our programme this year with NLS2 and the 24-hour race.”
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