With the Formula 1 season back in action for its 2026 season under new regulations, we have seen Melbourne's hometown hero, Oscar Piastri, fail to make it to the starting grid, and Mercedes and Ferrari parading themselves as the contenders for the constructors’ and drivers' championships.

The new season started with a bang; throughout the weekend many teams faced multiple technical and reliability issues with their cars in the lead-up to and during the feature race, as a result of the major aerodynamic and engine regulation changes in 2026. This included the current reigning F1 champion, McLaren’s Lando Norris, who was forced to retire during practice due to gearbox issues.

Qualifying was where shocking statements and results were seen in effect. The previous four-time World Champion Max Verstappen had an energy recovery software malfunction during qualifying. This caused his rear axle to lock up, resulting in him ending up in the wall at Turn one during Qualifying One, leaving Verstappen to start from the grid in 20th. On the other hand, his newly promoted teammate, Isack Hadjar, secured third position in qualifying, with his Racing Bulls rookie replacement, Arvid Lindblad, making it to Q3, and qualifying in ninth in his first-ever race weekend.

As a great start for their first Formula 1 weekend, the new Audi team locked in Position 10 and 11 with their drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, securing the team in the midfield. Although before the race Hulkenberg's car was retired due to an unspecified technical issue and did not compete.

Coming as a big shock to the weekend, the previously dominant McLaren team only secured a fifth and sixth position with their two drivers, although Piastri never ended up on the starting grid. Around half an hour before the start of the race, during the reconnaissance laps, the Aussie endured a race-ending crash where his car's damage was deemed unrepairable.

The Mercedes drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, secured a 1-2 qualifying, which they followed through to victory in the feature race itself—but not without fierce competition from Ferrari. In particular, Charles Leclerc in the first corner launched himself from fourth position into first and maintained a secure lead for the opening half of the race. 

Things started to unravel for Ferrari when a safety car was released due to Isack Hadjar’s Redbull facing engine failure on Lap 11, causing his car to be retired. During the safety cars deployment, the Mercedes team strategically pitted their cars, while the Ferrari team did not. By the time the Ferraris pitted, they were unable to regain their P1 and P2 positions, resulting in a well-executed undercut by Mercedes, which they then dominated and led for the closing half of the race.

The new regulations added more competition and ability to overtake; in previous years, tracks had Drag Reduction System (DRS) zones where drivers made the majority of their overtaking actions.

Now in 2026, DRS was retired for a new, more strategic element to overtaking—Active Aero and Overtake Mode. Active Aero is where the teams’ front and rear wings can move between ‘corner mode’ for high downforce and ‘straight mode’ for low drag, to be used on the straights. On the other hand, Overtake mode (unlike its predecessor DRS, which allowed drivers to open the rear wing flap only in certain areas of the track) enables drivers the opportunity to overtake across the entire track.

If a driver is within one second of the car in front of them, Overtake Mode can be used as a booster, taking extra electrical energy from the battery in the hybrid power F1 cars to help drivers execute overtakes.

In previous years, the DRS system was criticised for making overtaking predictable, as it was only available in certain areas, making the majority of overtaking in the past a predictable and arguably artificial process, as it made difficult strategic decisions easier.

In the Melbourne race, Verstappen, who started 20th, moved up 14 positions, securing himself not only in the points but in sixth place. Four out of the ten point finishers were under the age of 21, with 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad finishing his first ever F1 race in eighth, and 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli finishing in second.

Although we are only one race into the season, the new system seems to enable drivers to make more strategic moves, opening the window of opportunity when it comes to overtaking and on-track battles for drivers.

Image source: Ashley Syers