The opening race of the 2026 Formula 1 season was marred by more complaints over new hybrid cars being used on the circuit for the first time and even led multiple drivers to reference feeling like they were in a video game in the middle of the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday, March 7.
‘This is like the mushroom in Mario Kart,’ Charles LeClerc of Ferrari quipped at one point as he dueled with Mercedes lead driver and eventual 2026 Australian Grand Prix winner George Russell.
LeClerc was referring to the overtake and boost mode buttons drivers can now use during races as part of F1’s new rules, most notably the introduction of hybrid engines featuring a 50-50 split between combustion energy and electrical power. It forces teams to manage their car’s battery energy throughout the race, often at the expense of acceleration in the corners.
The controversial change has not gone over well with some of F1’s most notable drivers after their first weekend of qualifying and racing in the new cars, with reigning F1 champion Lando Norris telling reporters in Melbourne, Australia, ‘we’ve come from the best cars ever made in Formula 1 and the nicest to drive to probably the worst.’
Norris didn’t seem convinced otherwise after his first 2026 F1 race with McLaren’s new car, even though F1 announced this year’s Australian Grand Prix saw 120 overtakes compared to 45 in the 2025 F1 opener.
‘It’s chaos, you’re going to have a big accident,’ Norris said about the boost mode capabilities of the new F1 cars, according to ESPN. ‘We’re the ones just waiting for something to happen and go quite horribly wrong, and it’s not a nice position to be in, but there’s nothing we can really do about that now.’
‘It’s painful because you can’t do much as drivers,’ added Haas driver Esteban Ocon. ‘Once you use the boost button, and you have not managed to overtake, or even if you overtake, you are just vulnerable again on the next straight.’
‘We’re taking quite a bit away from the pure driving,’ noted Pierre Gasly.
Mercedes emerged with Russell in first place and teammate Kimi Antonelli in second place at the Australian Grand Prix. LeClerc joined them on the podium in third place. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari had one of the few positive remarks about the new rules following the Australian Grand Prix, telling reporters he thought ‘it was awesome.’
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, however, remained among the vocal critics, wondering if F1’s pivot is good for the sport.
‘No,’ he told reporters when asked if he enjoyed the first race with new rules and hybrid cars.
