There has been no shortage of attention on Mercedes in the build-up to 2026. The Silver Arrows have been favourites for these regulations since they were first conceptualised – and their performance in Australia demonstrates why.
Mercedes stepped up the pace on Saturday after a relatively quiet start to the weekend in FP1 and FP2. Their advantage in qualifying (8 tenths to the first non-Mercedes car) raised alarms about a potential return of Mercedes dominance.
However, Ferrari managed to keep Toto Wolff’s squad on their toes on Sunday. In this sense, the SF-26 has exceeded expectations and created some optimism (from the neutral’s perspective) for the upcoming rounds.
From George Russell’s standpoint, his early scraps with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton indicate the 2026 cars are not as nightmarish as some are suggesting.
Russell happy with start to 2026
There are recurring themes when F1 enters a new regulatory cycle, and 2026 is no exception. Over the last few days, drivers have become more outspoken about the latest generation of cars.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, those who are happier with their packages – most notably George Russell and Kimi Antonelli – have been generally positive.
Elsewhere on the grid, this upbeat view is far less common. Max Verstappen’s incompatibility with these 2026 challengers has been covered extensively since the first days of testing in Bahrain.
More recently, others have joined the Dutchman in offering criticisms. Carlos Sainz argues the 2026 can be “really dangerous”, pointing to the sometimes abrupt losses of energy that drivers experience at the end of straights.
According to the Spaniard, the differences in speed between a driver deploying energy and another who is recharging are hazardous.
Of course, such frustrations are not necessarily unusual during a regulation change.
What makes these comments more noteworthy, in this instance, is that the electrical components in the 2026 cars are more pronounced than ever before.
However, as mentioned previously, there is some divergence of opinion – at least in public declarations to the press. After securing victory in Melbourne, Russell offered his thoughts:
“It was kind of the race we were anticipating – difficult start, potentially yo-yoing with the overtakes.
“I knew we had the car pace, so I probably left a bit more margin while fighting Charles. And he was, you know, quite aggressive with some of the defensive manoeuvres.
“But at the end of the day, I think we created a really good race for you guys watching at home.
“As challenging as it was, it was still fun from within the cockpit. Yeah, maybe these new regulations aren’t as bad as people are making out.
“It’s been a clean weekend, obviously today was slightly more challenging. But I think the pace we saw from Ferrari was more like what we were anticipating – and not what we saw in qualifying.
“So I don’t know what happened to the other teams in qualifying. That pace difference wasn’t what anyone was expecting.
“However, from what we saw of Ferrari today, they’re definitely in the mix.”
All eyes on the Chinese GP
There is some merit to George Russell’s comments about the excitement during the opening phase of the race. Given how pessimistic the narrative was after qualifying, the quality of racing between Leclerc and Russell was very high.
More generally, seeing a Ferrari and Mercedes fight for first place generated a renewed sense of optimism about what the 2026 season could offer.
Nevertheless, it seems unlikely this debate will end anytime soon. Next weekend in Shanghai will see a fresh wave of evidence for drivers and fans alike to offer their thoughts on modern F1.
It is also true that circuit-specific characteristics will either highlight or minimise the main areas of complaint. Different venues could also see divergences in where teams are competitive, especially as mid-season development intensifies.
Consequently, the narrative surrounding the 2026 regulations are set to evolve throughout the season.
For Russell and Mercedes, though, this noise is more of an inconvenience than anything else. The British driver’s priority, assuming the W18 remains as the benchmark, will be working towards a first world title.