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F1
Five key takeaways from the first race of F1’s brave new era
A race from the back to the front for Max Verstappen and a superb debut as F1 began a new era at the Australian Grand Prix. But what does the action at Albert Park tell us about the season ahead?
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A new era of F1 is underway after an Australian Grand Prix that was at times spectacular, thrilling and infuriating. F1 has introduced a new set of rules and regulations to keep the sport as relevant to the automotive industry as possible, with a side order of shaking up the competition. Did it work? Well, boy howdy, it’s certainly shaken things up.
01
Max Verstappen makes the most of it
It’s no secret that Max Verstappen is not a fan of the new rules and his fears were realised when a bizarre technical issue caused the rear of his RB22 to lock up and spin him out of Quali just as he started his first flying lap.
It meant he started P20 but made up five places at the start and went through the field like a hot knife through butter to ultimately finish sixth, claiming the fastest lap on the way. “The first laps were pretty hectic and we just needed to stay out of trouble,” he said at the finish. “Overall, the team still did a great job: it was a decent comeback from P20 and we will work as a team to close the gap further.”
Third placed qualifier Isack Hadjar of Oracle Red Bull Racing
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
More encouraging signs were that Isack Hadjar put his RB22 third fastest in Qualifying and although the young Frenchman’s race was cut short by a mechanical failure, he looked at ease behind the wheel and a promising team-mate for Verstappen.
And while the four-time World Champion is unhappy, he’ll still ring as much performance as he can from the machine. “I don't like to overcomplicate it. Whether I have to drive this car, or last year’s car, or even if I have to race a shopping trolley, I’ll drive it to the limit of what a shopping trolley can do. It's as simple as that.” Shopping trolley races? Don’t give the FIA any ideas.
02
The Silver Arrows are flying
Mercedes and George Russell came into the opening race as the red-hot favourite and he leaves Albert Park clutching the winner’s trophy. With Kimi Antonelli securing a 1-2, it’s maximum points for the Silver Arrows and Toto Wolff no longer looks like a man weighed down by ground effect.
The Merc also looks easy on its tyres and seemed to have pace to spare in Quali. Mercedes have spent five years with their cars bouncing around the track as they struggled through the ground effect era so maybe they’re due a break. But they do look very comfortable right now and the gaps in performance could look huge in China.
Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad make a brilliant start to the Australian GP
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
03
Arvid Lindblad looks like a rare talent
The British racer had a fantastic debut: after a strong Quali, he followed the Ferraris to the front on the opening lap and was even running in P3 (for a few corners) before being re-passed by Lewis Hamilton and Hadjar. Later in the race, he was happy to get his elbows out as he battled with Ollie Bearman for position and finished eighth.
"I have a lot of respect for the senior guys in the sport, but I'm also not going to roll over and give them the place,” said Lindblad. “I'm here to fight. When I'm in the car, I'm a ruthless competitor and I'm going to take every inch I can get and I think I showed that on lap one."
Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls on the drivers parade
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
The VCARB03 might not have the straight line race pace of the Audi or Haas, but both cars reached the finish and have very capable drivers behind the wheel. This could be a strong season for the team from Faenza.
Meanwhile, Williams and Alpine will be joining McLaren in the queue outside Mercedes to find out exactly why their team’s engine seems so much more powerful than the ones they supplied to the customers.
Fast facts from around Albert Park
04
Racing feels "like Mario Kart"
The drivers are going through a steep learning curve with the new cars currently, but the fans are loving the entertainment with the cars being much more of a handful. Last year, the drivers enjoyed so much grip that they could take the trickiest sections in F1, such as Eau Rouge in Spa, flat out. So far this season, everything's a new challenge.
The cars have less grip and big surges of electric power, making them much harder to handle. “Straight mode means you've got a lot of other issues at hand,” said Lando Norris. “You decelerate so much before corners, you have to lift everywhere to make sure the [battery] pack's at the top. If the pack is too high, you're also screwed."
It’s just like the mushroom in Mario Kart
Verstappen is hopeful that the governing body, the FIA, and promoter, F1, might be able to find compromises to the new regs that please both the drivers and the viewing public: “Let's see what we can do. I hope that even maybe during this year we can come up with some different solutions, so it becomes more enjoyable for everyone.”
If you’re not behind the wheel, it all looks great of course. The first 20 laps of the Australian Grand Prix were phenomenally entertaining with cars scrambling for position along the length of the grid. Newlywed Charles Leclerc left Russell in his dust as he slipped past both Mercs, saying: “It’s just like the mushroom in Mario Kart,” to the Ferrari team as he seized the lead. They proceeded to pass and repass each other as Russell struggled to make an overtake stick.
Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar on the drivers parade
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Also at the start, poor Antonelli seemed to stay still for several seconds as he was passed by Hadjar, Hamilton, Norris and Lindblad – all adding spice to the mix. Further back, Fernando Alonso flew through the pack and into a points-paying position before his Aston Martin gave up the ghost.
And, of course, there was Verstappen scything through the field from the back in just a handful of laps. With the new overtake mode and a big boost button replacing DRS, the racing is also a bit easier to follow. It may not be perfect, but this new era of F1 has more wheel-to-wheel racing.
05
Chaos rules
Max Verstappen in the garage at the Australian Grand Prix
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Mechanical issues and even crashes had become pretty rare in F1 as the cars mixed great reliability with phenomenal levels of grip. But F1 is all about new technology and retirements are an indicator of a competitive sport.
Some years, the garages at the Australian Grand Prix can resemble a scrapyard as the shiny new racing machines break down under the first rigorous outing on track. In 2008, only six cars reached the finish line, all of which puts the six non-finishers from Sunday in perspective.
Better yet, there was eight teams scoring points. Of the teams finishing outside the top 10, Williams got both cars over the line despite being absent for much of testing and Sergio Pérez finished for Cadillac - no mean feat for F1's newest team.
While Aston Martin didn't make it to the finish line, Alonso showed a flash of pace which must be some consolation for Adrian Newey's outfit after so many sleepless nights trying to ready the car for racing.
06
What does the future hold?
More excitement and unpredictability for the fans, because the next round is the Chinese Grand Prix and it’s a Sprint Race weekend. That means the team only have one practice session to iron out kinks and there are a fair few of those.
Mercedes will be brimming with confidence, but Albert Park is not a typical F1 track, which the Shanghai International Circuit most definitely is. With its long straights and bigger braking zones, harvesting energy should be less of a factor – and that might be easier on the cars. The wide run-off areas in Shanghai are also more forgiving.
As a faster circuit, F1’s 107 Percent Rule could come into force and that could be bad news for newbies Cadillac and that fragile Aston Martin. The rule says that every car’s best lap time must be within 107 percent of the fastest time set in Q1.
It’s more than a decade since it was last enforced when HRT drivers Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan failed to qualify for the 2012 Australian Grand Prix, but faster laps will create bigger gaps in the field and that could mean trouble for the teams at the back. The teams have a lot of work to do and very little time to do it.
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