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Mar.9 (GMM) George Russell led home a Mercedes one-two in a chaotic Australian GP on Sunday, but the race that handed him the championship lead for the first time in his career also intensified the growing debate over whether Formula 1’s new regulations are producing racing or a video game.
Russell’s victory from pole, with teammate Kimi Antonelli second, was the easy part. The harder question came from the nature of the race itself, in which the lead swapped repeatedly as drivers cycled through battery management windows.
Leclerc captured the mood over team radio: “This is like the mushroom in Mario Kart.”
Max Verstappen, the regulations’ most vocal critic, used the same reference afterwards. “If you enjoyed the race, fine. But if that’s what I want, I’ll play Mario Kart. Personally, I can’t enjoy it.”
World champion Lando Norris, already scathing after qualifying, was asked if the race had changed his view. “Even worse,” he said. “Too artificial.”
He also raised a safety concern. “Depending on what people are doing, there can be huge differences in speed, and if someone hits you at slow speed, you’ll fly over the fence and could seriously injure yourself and maybe other people too.
“That’s a pretty terrifying thought.”
Sky Deutschland’s Timo Glock sided with the drivers. “For me, these aren’t real overtaking manoeuvres anymore because the driver in front is at the mercy of the other driver.
“That’s good for the excitement and the viewers, but for the driver it’s not a classic duel. The DNA of Formula 1 has been lost.”
Russell was having none of it – particularly Norris’s complaints. “If he was winning, I don’t think he’d be saying the same. We weren’t happy with how stiff the cars were last year and the porpoising, and everyone had a bad back and drivers were complaining about that, but McLaren drivers said there was no porpoising even though we watched their car and they were porpoising.
“So everyone’s always looking to themselves and we’re all selfish in this regard.”
He also suggested China, with its different circuit characteristics, would produce a different picture.
Toto Wolff acknowledged both sides. “One point of view is the drivers’ opinion, which is an important point of view, but Stefano Domenicali would say that the only metric that matters to him is whether the fans like it.
“And if something needs to be adjusted, I think we have the flexibility in Formula 1 to always make those decisions.”
The press was broadly enthusiastic. Spain’s Marca declared: “If this is the new Formula 1, then the fun is back. There were battles, problems, and strategic wars. Even if it may not have the mystique of the 80s or 90s, it is a Formula 1 that promises excitement.”
Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad was more measured, noting the race was “quite entertaining” while warning that the ease of Mercedes’ one-two “suggests that 2026 could be a rather dull year in terms of competitiveness.”
Russian-speaking commentator Denis Kazansky offered a more sardonic verdict: “Greta Thunberg will be happy about all this.”
One arguable positive – overtaking was triple the Melbourne average from a year ago, and the new regulations delivered more on-track action than many had feared.
Russell, for his part, was planning a quiet evening – flying home on Lewis Hamilton’s private jet. He predicted with a grin what his travelling companion would say.
“I’m sure I’m getting to hear ‘your engine is so good, your compression ratio is illegal, and this and that’.”
The new championship leader’s response?: “I’ll just say shut up and focus on your own business!”
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