Because then all these complaints from pilots and the usual nostalgic boomers clash with reality, described by the sly man Toto Wolff – who coincidentally excelled in every session at the beginning of 2026 -: “It would be nice to do qualifying at full throttle, but if we look at the enthusiasm of the fans, the cheering during overtaking, the younger fans and social media, the vast majority in all age groups love this F1“.
Even one of the most experienced of the lot, Lewis Hamilton on the grid for 20 years, he aligned himself with the new course – enlightened after the first podium after a year: “I think it was the best race I experienced in F1. In the car it was fantastic, it felt like driving a go-kart. First forward, then backward, then forward.” And it is no coincidence that in Great Britain they are calling this type of maneuver “overtake yo-yo”.
How boring are these pilots who criticize at full blast and don’t look to the future. Which is already present. Like Max Verstappen’s poisoned one: “If someone likes all this, then he really doesn’t know what motoring is. Maybe some might like it, but they don’t understand racing. You make a clear overtaking, then your battery runs out on the next straight, then you make a clear overtaking again”. How dare you, Max? Rosicone! Wolff put it back in its place: “Max talks like this because he’s having a nightmare with a horrible car to drive“, and with him also Jonathan Wheatley from Audi – one of the manufacturers who pushed hard for the 50:50 thermal/hybrid: “I had fun. Max’s comments must be understood, they derive from his position at the moment.”
Pure Alonso he couldn’t wait to have his say: “Starting is still a matter of instinct. It’s not like the battery world championship we have now“. Okay, but he talks like that because of the Aston Martin that isn’t working, right? And Ollie Bearman? He must be an atypical young man: “How frustrating. With Colapinto I was much faster, having new tyres. And I got over it. But he took back the position on the straight as if I wasn’t there, because my battery was flat.”
Charles Leclerc Thursday gave an idea of how these maneuvers are more the stuff of accountants with a calculator than daredevils: “In the past you took risks and overtook. Now you have to think about what will happen on the following straights. If you waste energy, you will pay the consequences.”
However, there were 8 overtakings between Leclerc and Hamilton in China, 5 between Russell and Leclerc in Australia. Did we want more entertainment? Here’s the show. Electrifying.
I saw a yo-yo overtaking! Ah well, yes well…
