formula one was under fire after qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, where George Russell and Mercedes secured a dominant front-row and several champions publicly blasted the new cars. Russell called the result a “perfect storm” as Max Verstappen crashed without setting a time, while Lando Norris said the machines were “probably the worst” he had driven. The core complaint centres on a controversial regulation overhaul that forces a 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power and demands intensive on-lap battery management.
Formula One drivers eviscerate new cars
Mercedes produced a one-two in qualifying with George Russell on pole and Kimi Antonelli alongside him, leaving the first non-Mercedes driver, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, 0. 785 seconds adrift. Russell said, “We knew we had a fast car beneath us. I don’t think we ever anticipated it to be this fast, but Max wasn’t there. ” Verstappen’s outing ended in a crash after the rear axle locked up under braking into Turn One; he said, “I just arrived to Turn One and the rear axle just completely locked up out of the blue while hitting the pedal, so this is something very weird that I’ve never experienced in F1 before. ” Red Bull are investigating the cause of that incident.
Immediate reactions from champions and teams
Lando Norris, McLaren driver and world champion, was blunt: “We’ve come from the best cars ever made in Formula 1, and the nicest to drive, to probably the worst. ” Norris tied his grievances to the new hybrid balance and the need to manage battery charge lap by lap, saying drivers now “have to lift everywhere” and that missed running left teams and drivers on the back foot. Lewis Hamilton, seven-times world champion, described the new driving requirements as “completely against” what the sport is about, arguing the power delivery and forced lifting undercut flat-out racing. George Russell framed Mercedes’ advantage in qualifying as a combination of circumstances he described as a “perfect storm, ” noting Max Verstappen’s absence from the session as a factor.
What’s next
Teams will scrutinize hybrid systems and energy-management data as the weekend progresses, while engineers race to understand reliability shortfalls that cost valuable laps. Verstappen warned it “is going to be a long season, ” and with Red Bull investigating his crash and teams adapting to the 50-50 powersplit rules, the coming races will show whether setups, software and race strategy can erase the current divides in machine performance and driver satisfaction in formula one.
