If the bigwigs and boffins at Formula One and the FIA wanted a wholly complimentary verdict after race one of the sport’s brave new world at Albert Park, they did not get it. On the contrary, their ears will have pricked up most markedly at the comments of reigning world champion Lando Norris, sweaty and sharp in the media pen post-race.
“It is way too much, it is chaos,” said the McLaren driver, who, it should be stated, is no longer in the dominant car. “We are going to have a big accident, which is a shame because we are the ones driving, just waiting for something to happen and for it to go quite horribly wrong.”
Norris was referring specifically to the closing speeds between cars as the drivers acclimatise to new aerodynamic and battery-related devices that, frankly, make F1 in 2026 an entirely new sport. That said, it was an incident at the start that illustrated Norris’s critique most clearly.
When the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson moved slowly off the start line, Franco Colapinto’s cat-like reactions avoided a massive accident, as the Alpine driver quickly moved to the right. “The video shows it was very dangerous and quite sketchy,” said Colapinto, whose split-second swerve should be applauded.
Only, the incident was not aired in real-time but in the cool-down room afterwards with the Australian Grand Prix winner, title favourite George Russell and the top three watching on, gasping in shock. And relief.
The brand new race starts, with a flashing blue light before the customary five red lights illuminate, have been implemented to allow all drivers to rev the engine higher and for longer, to build the necessary ‘turbo boost’ before the red lights extinguish.
On Sunday, the FIA starter tasked with the procedure held the final red light for less than half-a-second. Given the fresh nature of the challenge, it was completely unnecessary. “I think the person who is switching off the lights has been quite cheeky,” said Charles Leclerc. And he was someone who benefited, storming up from fourth to first.
Given that this has been the sport’s most radical overhaul of regulations, there were inevitable peaks and troughs. Leclerc’s thrilling early battle with Russell, in which the lead changed hands six times in nine laps, was rip-roaring racing theatre. Perhaps they weren’t “pure overtakes” – perhaps they were simply indicative of conditions which favour the chaser. Still, it was captivating and, for the FIA, a tick in the box.
Now, back to Norris, who finished fifth in Melbourne, some 51 seconds behind Russell. While Leclerc and Russell sparred fairly, judging each gap and opportunity impeccably, Norris was keen to emphasise the potentially serious consequences down the line if a misjudgement is made. The new overtake mode provides a speed boost for a driver looking to pass while the car ahead is slowing down to regenerate the battery. Thus, the sudden speed disparity is stark.
“Depending on what drivers do, you can have 30, 40, 50kph [closing] speeds,” he explained. “And when someone hits another driver at that speed, you are going to fly, and go over the fence, and do a lot of damage to yourself and maybe to others.
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“That is a pretty horrible thing to think about.”
It is easy to jump to the conclusion that Norris’s verdict is simply sour grapes. The Briton described the cars after qualifying as “going from the best [last year] to the worst”. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, flying high in the paddock as Silver Arrows personnel all wore bright blue P1 T-shirts – as if they really knew the potential of their rocketship car all along – was keen to emphasise that “not one driver was speaking particularly well of the last cars.... we tend to be very nostalgic when looking at past events”.
He is, of course, correct. The previous ground-effect era was far from perfect. Remember the horrendous porpoising effect in 2022? Russell added of Norris’s claims: “If he was winning, I don’t think he’d be saying the same.” Also accurate. Lewis Hamilton is one driver outspoken about how much he is enjoying this new generation. Again, understandable given that Ferrari looks like Mercedes’ closest challenger.
Yet Norris’s intricate comments and incidents like Lawson/Colapinto will, undoubtedly, concern the FIA and they should take note. Strides towards safety have been impressive in recent years, so much so that F1 has only had one driver death in the last 31 years – and none since the “halo” device was introduced above the cockpit in 2018.
Even Russell, in this instance, had a specific request for the sport’s rule-makers. “The only thing I would request from the FIA is that with straight mode [when both front and rear wings open on straights, reducing drag], the front wing doesn’t drop as aggressively.
“When we open straight mode we have lots of understeer, and when I was behind Charles, and I was trying to duck out of his slipstream, it was like my front wing wasn’t working. I think from a safety aspect that would make the racing safer, better.”
This example, amid myriad aerodynamic, battery and engine changes, accentuates why the FIA must stay adaptable in the weeks to come. They must not be afraid to change the regulations where necessary, particularly when a large consensus is reached among the drivers and stakeholders.
On Saturday morning, for instance, they quickly U-turned on a sudden removal of a “straight mode” area on the circuit. It was a mistake quickly rectified. No problem – move on. The learning curve for all involved, not least the FIA’s single-seater director, Nikolas Tombazis, will be significant.
And the rate of change across the first few rounds may well be dramatic. The sport’s standout driver, Max Verstappen, hates the new regulations and hasn’t ruled out quitting. Home hero Oscar Piastri crashed out on a reconnaissance lap to the grid in Australia, having experienced a sudden 100kW surge in engine power. Even youngster Ollie Bearman, who finished an impressive seventh, likened the new form of overtaking to a video game. There is a lot going on up and down the grid.
But we must wait and see. The excruciating downshifting of gears at the end of straights are, in this correspondent’s view, the biggest issue to grapple with. It will be most audible on the 1.2km back-straight at the next race in Shanghai. Problematically, there looks to be no quick fix on this front.
Yet on the whole, all involved – drivers, executives, fans – would be advised to keep an open mind. For better or for worse, these regulations are here to stay until at least 2030. Fine-tuning will be incremental. It’s an exciting new era – but there are a whole lot of new problems.
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