There’s a new rules set in F1. It’s engine-heavy. And Mercedes is once again the team to beat.
Sigh.
Lewis left at the wrong time. He’d be fighting for his 8th this season if he’d just fucking stayed. Don’t get me wrong, Ferrari seems like they’ll be in the mix with how quickly they can do their starts, and I doubt the qualifying margin will be as dramatic when it comes to race pace…but I’ve gone back and watched the first races of seasons with a rule change, at least for the last three major ones, and it was remarkable to watch how instantly dominant one team and driver were, right off the blocks.
It was Vettel with Red Bull back in…2010? Lewis and Mercedes in 2014 (?), and then Max and Red Bull in 2022. Now it’s George with Mercedes in 2026. Or, at least it looks that way. We’ll see if he wins on Sunday. But I absolutely expect him to.
Frustrating. I so want Lewis to get the 8th and be the undisputed. But I’m not sure it’s going to happen. I sincerely doubt it will, seeing Mercedes so clearly the dominant car out there.
Long day of work. Gonna be a long weekend. Night night.
—artwork by Levi Fulstein