F1 2026

[svennis pennis]

Far too early to be calling it a one horse race.

Countless examples of teams turning up at the first few races and looking untouchable only to drop into the pack.

There is so much learning and understanding to come on these regulations. It’ll flip all over the place.

Impressed with Audi (despite the issue at the end of Q2), really striking to put a car in the top 10 at the first time of asking with your first attempt at a power unit.

However I have to say I’m not a fan of the 50/50 power units and all the active aero / boost nonsense. I do hope in the future we see a switch to bio fuel and Formula E can have all the ‘electric tech’.

 

[SWP's back]

A lot of it is to do with intergration. The works car is designed from the ground up with the power unit,the chassis, cooling requirements etc etc complimenting each other as a package. A customer team gets the basic engine and that's it.
The works team also have optimal engine mapping which customer teams do not.

Point is that any “cheating” engine would be giving the same power to all four teams.

The engine mapping options also have to remain identical to customer teams. Mercedes aren’t allowed a special mapping that’s only used by them. This is covered by the FIA’s article 6.3 so you’re wrong re mapping.

 

[Lou Antony Morris]

Point is that any “cheating” engine would be giving the same power to all four teams.

The engine mapping options also have to remain identical to customer teams. Mercedes aren’t allowed a special mapping that’s only used by them. This is covered by the FIA’s article 6.3 so you’re wrong re mapping.

While the engines and mapping options are identical, customer teams may still face disadvantages because the engine is designed to fit the manufacturer’s chassis, forcing the customer to adapt their car around it. Additionally, while software is identical, there may be tiny performance differences due to manufacturing tolerances.

 

[SWP's back]

While the engines and mapping options are identical, customer teams may still face disadvantages because the engine is designed to fit the manufacturer’s chassis, forcing the customer to adapt their car around it. Additionally, while software is identical, there may be tiny performance differences due to manufacturing tolerances.

So you now agree then after a quick check, the engine is exactly the same.

Also it’s the chassis that’s designed to fit around the engine, not the other way around. That’s why the manufacturer have a slight advantage as the have access to the engine CAD files a few weeks in advance.

So the outperformance of Merc over the other three is down to their chassis and aero, not because they’re getting more power. As I originally said.

 

[Lou Antony Morris]

Everything the Mercedes has done and accomplished has been because they've bent the rules as to what is currently acceptable. This is why I ignored F1 for over five years.

 

[Lou Antony Morris]

It's 2014 all over again

 

[Lou Antony Morris]

Looks like we have to have domination by cheating

 

[SWP's back]

Everything the Mercedes has done and accomplished has been because they've bent the rules as to what is currently acceptable. This is why I ignored F1 for over five years.

Yeah you said you were going to stop watching it, but apparently you’re going to comment on it still (over and over again).

Neither you nor I have any idea whether the compression rate thing is true but they’re not 8 tenths clear of the pack because of it AS THREE OTHER FUCKING TEAMS ARE USING THE EXACT SAME SPEC ENGINE WITH THE SAME MAPPING.

 

[BlueTG]

Season is decided already.

 

[feedmpenzaandhewillscore]

Season is decided already.

Could go either way Mercedes could run away or the other teams quickly learn about the new regulations and catch up. Brawn GP dominated with a double diffuser concept no one else thought of back in 2009, they obliterated the early rounds of that season but when Red Bull implemented it and caught up they won a lot of races and it provided the launch pad for Vettel’s four World championships in a row.

 

[SWP's back]

Could go either way Mercedes could run away or the other teams quickly learn about the new regulations and catch up. Brawn GP dominated with a double diffuser concept no one else thought of back in 2009, they obliterated the early rounds of that season but when Red Bull implemented it and caught up they won a lot of races and it provided the launch pad for Vettel’s four World championships in a row.

People forget it’s the first race not only of the season but of new regs. It’s not incremental upgrades and improvements that happen over the first quarter of the season but huge leaps.

 

[TinFoilHat]

Ferrari Spursey strategy again.

 

[TinFoilHat]

Will take a few races to see if the regulation changes have improved or worsened the sport.

Sadly with the possibility of Bahrain and Saudi called off depending on the situation in the middle east it may take a while for a rhythm to develop.

I thought Ferrari had Mercedes number until the usual fuck up took place.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

Aston Martin / Honda can fuck right off.

You had the same amount of cash and time as everyone else and your car is a heap of shit. Deal with it.

They shouldn't be allowed to fuck around in the race and basically use it as an extra test day. The FIA need to put an end to that.

Be hilarious if Alonso just sacks them off and walks off into the sunset half way through the season. It's what I'd do in his shoes.

 

[Digsy's Dinner]

Hello all. I half-follow F1 and know some bits and pieces but I'm just wondering why Mercedes in Russell and Antonelli are up there with the favourites to win the championship this year compared to the last seasons when Mercedes weren't a real threat? What's changed as McLaren go from where they were last season to now? TIA.

 

[domalino]

While the engines and mapping options are identical, customer teams may still face disadvantages because the engine is designed to fit the manufacturer’s chassis, forcing the customer to adapt their car around it. Additionally, while software is identical, there may be tiny performance differences due to manufacturing tolerances.

So you now agree then after a quick check, the engine is exactly the same.

Also it’s the chassis that’s designed to fit around the engine, not the other way around. That’s why the manufacturer have a slight advantage as the have access to the engine CAD files a few weeks in advance.

So the outperformance of Merc over the other three is down to their chassis and aero, not because they’re getting more power. As I originally said.

This interview with an F1 engineer explains the advantages Mercedes get pretty well.

I think it's being overblown (ie in the headline of the article), but it definitely exists.

How Mercedes is starting F1 2026 with an advantage McLaren and others can’t match

Mercedes heads into the new season with an advantage over its three customer teams, including McLaren, given its a works outfit.

www.planetf1.com

The bit you 2 are arguing about -

“When I was working at McLaren in 2012-13, we had our engine supplied by Mercedes. At the beginning of the year, Mercedes would send you a CAD model of their engine, and you’d put that into your CAD and try to build around it, making sure everything you’re designing on the car fits around the engine model you’ve been given.

“But the thing with the customer relationship is that you get that engine model maybe once a week or every two weeks, while for the works team, it’s updating live.

“It’s maybe improved over the years, but there’s been many instances when you’re working around an old version of the engine model, and then a new version comes through and suddenly something doesn’t fit. So, it can just slow down the entire design process on the chassis side

 

[TinFoilHat]

Hello all. I half-follow F1 and know some bits and pieces but I'm just wondering why Mercedes in Russell and Antonelli are up there with the favourites to win the championship this year compared to the last seasons when Mercedes weren't a real threat? What's changed as McLaren go from where they were last season to now? TIA.

Allegations Mercedes found a loop hole in the new regs which makes their cars faster than everyone else this year.

 

[SWP's back]

This interview with an F1 engineer explains the advantages Mercedes get pretty well.

I think it's being overblown (ie in the headline of the article), but it definitely exists.

How Mercedes is starting F1 2026 with an advantage McLaren and others can’t match

Mercedes heads into the new season with an advantage over its three customer teams, including McLaren, given its a works outfit.

www.planetf1.com

The bit you 2 are arguing about -

Yep I’d read that previously hence my posts about it. I can’t believe he thought Merc had special engine mapping available only to them and not the customer teams which would have been against the FIA’s rules.

 

[SWP's back]

Allegations Mercedes found a loop hole in the new regs which makes their cars faster than everyone else this year.

Four teams use that engine.

Merc just have a very good car, including chassis and aero.

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

It’s not what it was when teams were allowed to build a car and stick their own boots on to compete. We’re now in an age of intervention, where teams have to conform to rules that may be good for the entertainment industry, or those sponsoring it.

Saying that, today was pretty interesting until Ferrari fucked up. To not cover off and lose 10-13 seconds, really showed that they haven’t learnt.

Must say, overall, this race reminded me of Mario carts, as the teams hit a boost and took it. Completely manufactured and when you set specific rules, you end up getting specific outcomes.