I have mixed emotions about F1 in 2026

TL;DR

The 2026 F1 season has mixed feelings: Mercedes dominates again, Antonelli won at 19, but battery-harvesting regulations have cheapened racing quality.

Key Points

• 1.Mercedes is dominating again like 2015. George Russell leads the championship in a clearly superior car, with Ferrari second but well behind, and McLaren suffering reliability issues from PU problems.
• 2.Kimi Antonelli won the Chinese GP at just 19 years and 202 days old. His emotional victory in only his second F1 race was the season highlight, though he did lock up late in the race.
• 3.Red Bull and Verstappen are in serious trouble. The RB22 has a tiny operating window — Verstappen suffered software issues causing bad starts, and eventually DNF'd while running at the same pace as an Alpine.
• 4.The 2026 battery-harvesting regulations have degraded racing quality. Drivers deliberately slow down through fast corners to harvest energy, turning high-risk track sections into dead zones — 'from a steak to pot noodle.'
• 5.Verstappen publicly slammed the 2026 regulations, saying anyone who likes them doesn't understand racing. He believes drivers who praise them only do so because they currently hold an advantage.