A new way of driving
One of the themes of Australian Grand Prix 2026 – which he recorded 120 overtakings unlike the 45 last year – it is the one relating to the new course of Formula 1, decidedly different from that seen so far. In particular, overtaking maneuvers were put under the magnifying glass by the drivers themselves, who found themselves grappling with a new way of dealing with their rivals on the track.
The opinion of Russell and Leclerc
The winner of the race George Russell explained: “Everyone is very quick to criticize. When we had the best cars ever with the lowest tire degradation ever everyone complained. Now the drivers are dissatisfied, but everyone said it was a fantastic race. You can’t have everything. We need to give this regulation a chance.”
Charles Leclerc he tried to describe his feelings: “The way of racing and overtaking has changed. Before, it mattered more who was the bravest to brake last, now there is more strategy behind every move. It’s definitely a different way of approaching races.”
Verstappen very hard and Norris raises the alarm
Both on Saturday and Sunday Max Verstappen did not hold back from criticizing the new era of Formula 1, explaining how unnatural driving is and that you cannot go to the maximum.
Lando Norris – who in the pre-season had criticized the Dutch champion for his criticism – has diametrically changed his position and aligned himself with Max, with tones – if possible – even more impactful: “The ride was too chaotic. There will be a big accident and it will be a shame, something will go terribly wrong. We are not in a pleasant position and there is nothing we can do. TEverything is very artificial and it depends on what the power unit decides, sometimes in a very random way. Sometimes you get overtaken by five cars and there’s nothing you can do about it. There’s no point in saying anything else, but it’s not for me. Depending on what each driver does, there can be differences of 30, 40 or 50 km/h. And if you hit a car with this delta you fly away, end up against the fences and hurt yourself a lot, and you risk hurting others too. And it’s a horrible thing to think about.”
