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00:12The 2026 Formula One World Championship begins under the banner of one of the most significant
00:18regulatory overhauls in recent history.
00:21The cars have been completely reimagined and the new power units introduce an almost equal
00:26split between electric and combustion power.
00:28This is not simply an update.
00:30It marks the beginning of a new era that could reshape the competitive order on track.
00:36The season starts, however, with the reigning champions.
00:40The McLaren Formula One team arrive as Defending Constructors World Champions, while Lando
00:45Norris carries the number one on his car after securing the 2025 driver's title.
00:52Alongside him remains Oscar Piastri, forming a young, cohesive and now fully mature pairing
00:57racing, determined to defend their crown in a radically new, technical landscape.
01:08Red Bull Racing aim to reclaim the top step, once again relying on the talent and determination
01:14of Max Verstappen, now partnered with young prospect Isaac Hadjar.
01:18For Milton Keynes, the challenge will be translating the expertise built in the previous era into
01:24an immediate advantage under the new regulations.
01:32At Maranello, Scuderia Ferrari field one of the most captivating lineups on the grid, Charles
01:38Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
01:41Pure speed combined with World Championship pedigree, all focused on returning Ferrari consistently
01:46to the very front during this pivotal regulatory reset.
01:55The Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team continue their rebuilding phase by retaining
02:01George Russell and placing strong faith in Italian rising star Kimi Antonelli.
02:06The Silver Arrows have invested heavily in chassis and power unit integration, knowing that early
02:11interpretation of the rules could define the season.
02:15The Aston Martin, Aramco Formula One team confirm Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, but above
02:20all, they have made one of the most significant strategic moves in recent memory, the arrival
02:26of legendary designer Adrian Newey.
02:29In a year defined by technical revolution, having his signature on the project sends a clear
02:33message of ambition.
02:35Williams Racing rely on the consistency of Alexander Albon and the experience of Carlos Sainz
02:41Sainz Jr., aiming to solidify the progress shown in recent seasons and capitalize on any
02:46shifts in the competitive hierarchy.
02:49Within the Red Bull family, racing bulls field Liam Lawson alongside highly-rated youngster
02:54Arvid Lindblad, a lineup built with the future firmly in mind.
03:04The Haas F1 team continue with Esteban Ocon and Oliver Behrmann, targeting consistency and
03:10steady points, finishes in what could be an unpredictable campaign.
03:14There is considerable intrigue surrounding the full factory entry of the Audi F1 team,
03:19competing with Nico Hülkenberg and young talent Gabriel Bortolito.
03:24As a major manufacturer entering at the dawn of a new era, Audi could emerge as one of the
03:29season's biggest surprises.
03:31A historic debut also awaits the Cadillac Formula One team, which launches its project with the
03:37experience of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas, laying the foundations for long-term growth.
03:43Finally, the Alpine F1 team pair Pierre Gasly with Franco Colopinto, hoping to use the regulatory
03:50reset as an opportunity to close the gap to the front.
03:53The 2026 season promises unpredictability, new cars, potential new hierarchies, and a title
04:00to defend for McLaren and Norris.
04:02In Formula One, when the rules change, history changes with them.
04:26Mercedes arrives in Australia as one of the most competitive teams.
04:30The W17, aerodynamically well-balanced and featuring an excellent chassis, plays the card of the
04:37most powerful engine of the new generation, developed in full compliance with all the parameters
04:42set by the 2026 technical regulations.
04:45The Mercedes power unit has been redesigned around aerodynamic requirements, which demand
04:50an extreme reduction in engine and radiator packaging.
04:54The downsizing of the internal combustion engine and the expansion of the electrical component,
04:59direct development toward a power flow that integrates the 350 kilowatts of the MG UK with
05:07the 400 horsepower of the V6 engine.
05:10With an electric motor that doubles battery regeneration capacity, the negative torque generated
05:16under braking reduces rear brake intervention and requires new brake-by-wire strategies.
05:22A total of 470 electric horsepower makes it possible to reshape the V6's power curve,
05:28eliminating the torque gaps caused by the absence of variable geometry intake and, above all, the MGUH.
05:36Mercedes switches to an integrated turbo layout but adopts a thermal barrier featuring a liquid cooling coil.
05:43By separating turbo and compressor temperatures, the intercooler is now more compact.
05:48The combustion chambers, designed for the new fuels, extend flame propagation time to maintain higher internal temperatures for longer
05:56and increase the thrust of each individual expansion stroke.
05:59All four Mercedes-powered teams have expressed great satisfaction with both the power characteristics
06:06and the consumption and reliability data gathered during pre-season testing sessions.
06:11On the Red Bull side, a conventional project is presented with the main change being the switch from pull rod
06:17to push rod suspension on both axles.
06:20The RB22 features a push rod system with a mechanical third element and vertical dampers for roll control.
06:26This configuration softens pitching behavior under compression and makes the release of load during extension less abrupt.
06:34Under braking, the horizontal element comes into play, regulating nose dive stiffness to prevent the floor from striking the track
06:41surface.
06:42The anti-roll bars are positioned low and behind the suspension, a factor that helps lower the car's center of
06:48gravity,
06:49making the RB22 a single-seater with a flat setup and a front-end focused balance, just the way four
06:56-time world champion Max Verstappen likes it.
07:08Frederick Vasseur had anticipated and promised a Ferrari SF26 version B before Australia, and already in Bahrain,
07:17the first development changes were visible on the engine, chassis and especially the aerodynamics of a car destined for an
07:24extremely rapid evolution path.
07:26Speaking about the SF26's power unit, there is a particularly important innovation.
07:31A system that drastically reduces turbo lag, that is, the delay in power delivery in the absence of the MGUH.
07:39The completely redesigned exhausts, featuring a much tighter and more enclosed layout to channel more heat into the turbine,
07:46allow for a quicker response under acceleration, improving drivability.
07:50Behind all this, however, there is a key backstory.
07:53Last September, Vasseur, thanks to Gualtieri, had already informed the FEA and the other manufacturers that there was a power
08:01delivery delay issue.
08:03Both the manufacturers and the FIA initially said there was no problem, and the FIA refused to change the regulations.
08:11After the Barcelona tests, Vasseur received confirmation.
08:16All engine manufacturers acknowledged experiencing power delivery delay issues that, at the start and when exiting slow corners, could even
08:25create potential safety concerns.
08:26At that point, both the manufacturers and the FIA agreed to make a modification to try to solve the issue.
08:34Ferrari said no, because it had already found its own solution.
08:38An AELS anti-lag system that allows ignition timing to be delayed even when the exhaust valves are already open.
08:47This makes it possible to shift part of the combustion process into the exhaust system, which has been modified longer
08:53and with a more direct route to the turbine,
08:56allowing thrust energy and heat to be maintained on the turbine for longer, thus improving compression during acceleration.
09:03This could be Ferrari's key strength in compensating for Mercedes' higher compression ratio.
09:08The chassis will be four kilograms lighter.
09:11The weight reduction concerns the entire accessories area, avoiding interventions in areas that would require a new crash test, such
09:18as the nose, the anti-intrusion bar zones and the air intake.
09:22An extremely important structural area that protects the driver in the event of a rollover.
09:27From an aerodynamic standpoint, the SF26 already introduced in Bahrain a highly aggressive and developed Step 2 package, featuring a
09:36series of new flaps and deflectors inside the rear wheels that completely modify airflow behavior near the diffuser.
09:43The goal is to increase low pressure generation, optimize floor extraction and achieve greater ground effect.
09:51Another key modification concerns the rear push rod, suspension reaction rod, which has been widened to better direct airflow straight
09:58toward the diffuser, clean up the air and maximize rear downforce.
10:02The question is, why focus all this work on the underbody rather than on the wings?
10:07Because with cars that must compete on aerodynamic efficiency and therefore reduce drag to lower fuel consumption, the focus shifts
10:17to lower body aerodynamics, which allows ground effect to be increased without paying the price in terms of aerodynamic drag.
10:24These are the three development steps that we will see on the SF26 version B between Bahrain and Australia.
10:46Ferrari is revolutionizing the concept of the rear wing and the aerodynamics of a rear downforce single seater.
10:53A new rear wing has been designed that, in X mode, actually flips over.
10:58It rotates more than 180 degrees, completely changing the traditional concept of a rear wing.
11:05In a conventional configuration, the wing is downforce generating, pressing the car onto the ground and increasing stability.
11:12However, when X mode is activated, the wing can transform into a lift generating surface, like an airplane wing.
11:19This not only reduces drag, but also lifts the rear of the car, decreasing rear downforce and therefore allowing for
11:26much higher top speeds.
11:29Let's focus on the new rear end of the SF26.
11:33The wing is positioned directly behind the exhaust, which allows the hot, high-pressure gases to flow upward.
11:39Channeling these flows under the wing increases the negative pressure and therefore the downforce.
11:44At the same time, it helps evacuate air from the diffuser more efficiently due to the increased low-pressure zone
11:50behind the car, boosting ground effect and grip.
11:53All of this changes when the wing opens.
11:56At that point, airflow is directed behind the car rather than under the wing, disrupting the low-pressure field, reducing
12:04diffuser extraction and weakening the ground effect.
12:07It's truly an extraordinary, ingenious and innovative solution for a Formula One car.
12:13One that will require fine-tuning, since the changes in rear downforce are massive.
12:19We're talking about nearly 1,000 kilograms of variation when the wing flips completely at 300 kilometers per hour.
12:27The car sheds load, then instantly regains full downforce when the wing returns to its conventional position.
12:33This restores maximum grip just before braking zones, helping the driver through corners.
12:52From the first seasonal shakedown in Barcelona to the second testing session at the Bahrain international circuit,
12:59the new Formula One season has opened with a scenario far removed from the lofty ambitions surrounding the 2026 campaign
13:07of the Aston Martin F1 team.
13:10The British team, which had attracted major attention with the arrival of legendary designer Adrian Newey,
13:15now finds itself grappling with technical issues and development delays that risk compromising the start of the championship.
13:22The Barcelona test had already raised the first warning signs.
13:26The AMR 26, the new car built to the 2026 regulations, was launched late and the team had to forego
13:34several full testing days.
13:36A clear indication that the development process had not progressed according to plan.
13:41Engineers struggled to complete the scheduled program, accumulating significantly less mileage than their better prepared rivals.
13:48In Bahrain, the situation did not improve, quite the opposite.
13:54Electronic complications and power unit issues compounded an already critical picture.
13:59On just the second day of testing, team officials and representatives from Honda Racing Corporation
14:05were forced to admit that a battery problem with the Honda power unit had interrupted Fernando Alonso's session,
14:11drastically limiting the number of planned laps.
14:14The 2026 Honda PU is a project that follows exactly Adrian Newey's requirements in terms of dimensions and packaging.
14:22The centre of gravity has been lowered, the exhausts are narrow, and above all there is the abandonment of the
14:28counterflow radiators,
14:29which lose their lower element.
14:31The entire electrical system is packaged beneath the fuel tank, in front of the engine.
14:36The 476 horsepower MG UK, connected to the crankshaft, is installed between the battery units.
14:43The turbo assembly is integrated.
14:45A central thermal barrier separates the turbine and the compressor, preventing heat transfer to the cold side,
14:51with the aim of ensuring maximum reliability for the Japanese PHI-6 internal combustion engine.
14:57From an engineering standpoint, Aston Martin's crisis appears to revolve around two main factors.
15:04Power unit reliability, battery issues and inefficiencies in certain electronic components,
15:09forced lap restrictions and the cancellation of planned runs.
15:13This affects not only the quantity of data collected,
15:16but also the team's ability to understand and develop the car's behaviour under varying conditions.
15:23Integration of the new power unit and gearbox.
15:26The AMR-26 is a completely new car, featuring solutions that remain largely unproven in real-world conditions.
15:35Every new element, from the engine to the transmission, requires time to be synchronised with the aerodynamic and mechanical package.
15:44In a context of limited testing, this inevitably results in numerous teething problems
15:50that must be resolved progressively.
15:52The final weeks of pre-season testing have highlighted an Aston Martin team in difficulty,
15:58precisely at a moment when many expected it to challenge at the top.
16:02The technical crisis that surfaced in Barcelona and was confirmed in Bahrain paints a complicated picture,
16:08where reliability, data collection and outright performance remain below expectations.
16:28There is something profoundly cyclical about Audi's entry into Formula One.
16:33A return that clearly looks to the future,
16:35yet is rooted in one of the most mythological chapters of European motorsport.
16:39Auto Union and the silver arrows of the pre-war Grand Prix era.
16:43In the 1930s, when Formula One did not yet exist in the form we know today,
16:48Auto Union represented the technical and philosophical vanguard of racing.
16:53Its mid-engined single-seaters, an outright heresy at the time,
16:57challenged Mercedes in an all-German duel that went far beyond sport.
17:01Those Auto Union Type C and D cars, driven by legends such as Bern Rosemeyer, did more than win.
17:08They anticipated the future.
17:10The Auto Union Type C is the most innovative car of its era.
17:15With the cockpit positioned ahead of the engine and the V16 mounted behind the driver,
17:20it anticipates by 25 years the layout of Formula One single-seaters
17:25that would only adopt the rear engine configuration at the end of the 1950s.
17:30The legendary 6.0-litre, 16-cylinder engine features a supercharger
17:36that delivers a monumental 520 horsepower, redefining the rules, the technology,
17:41and the driving approach of a single-seater which, thanks to its central 189-litre fuel tank,
17:48achieves a truly unique weight balance compared to the massive front-engine cars of the time.
17:53The 42-litre oil tank and the radiator water tank positioned on the front axle
17:59ensure an exceptional balance at full load, 49% at the front and 51% at the rear.
18:06It is hard not to see in that pioneering vision the DNA Audi now claims as it steps into Formula
18:12One.
18:12After the war, however, Germany's relationship with Formula One was anything but linear.
18:19Mercedes made a first sensational entry into the circus in 1954 and 1955,
18:25immediately dominating with Juan Manuel Fangio
18:28and leaving an indelible mark before withdrawing abruptly after Le Mans.
18:33A brief, almost mythical appearance that helped turn Formula One
18:37into an unfinished chapter for the German automotive industry.
18:41In the years that followed, Germany's presence appeared more in flashes than as a cohesive long-term project.
18:48There were pure German teams such as ATS and Zakspeed in the 1980s,
18:53brave efforts often hampered by limited resources.
18:56At the same time, German manufacturers increasingly chose the engine supplier route.
19:02Porsche, after six years as a constructor in the 1960s and a single victory at the 1962 French Grand Prix,
19:08returned in the 1980s as an engine supplier, winning three Drivers' Championships and two Constructors' titles with McLaren.
19:17BMW's involvement as an engine supplier culminated in the 1983 World Championship with Brabham.
19:23The BMW Sauber era, despite its Swiss base, also represented another important chapter in Germany's Formula One story.
19:32The true, fully structured return of Germany to the top, however, came with Mercedes' second entry.
19:38In 2010, by taking over Braun GP, the Silver Star re-embraced Formula One with a modern, global industrial vision.
19:47The rest is recent history, a cycle of dominance that redefined the standards of the hybrid era and brought Germany
19:55back to the very centre of Formula One, this time for more than a decade.
20:00And it is precisely along this path that Audi now steps in.
20:05Its arrival is not that of a mere new manufacturer, but of a brand carrying a unique technical and symbolic
20:12legacy.
20:13Audi is not coming to have a go, it is coming to complete a journey that began almost a century
20:20ago,
20:20when auto union dared to pursue radical solutions while the rest of the world chased from behind.
20:27As Formula One enters a new regulatory era, Audi presents itself as the modern heir to that tradition.
20:33Technology, efficiency, identity.
20:36No longer the silver arrows, but a vision of Formula One as a laboratory of excellence, where innovation matters as
20:43much as victory.
20:44Ultimately, Formula One has always been a story of historical cycles,
20:48and the one opening with Audi has the flavour of a return to the origins,
20:54reinterpreted through the lens of the 21st century.
20:58Germany, once again, is speaking the language of Formula One fluently.
21:23January 25th, with the Brazilian GP at Interlagos, the 1976 Formula One World Championship got underway.
21:45Welcome to 50 years ago, welcome to back to F1.
21:49But let's take one more step back with our time machine and start from the pre-season.
21:53The calendar features 16 races, two more than the previous championship.
21:58But the first GP, scheduled in Argentina on January 11th, is cancelled and replaced by the Japanese Grand Prix, held
22:06for the first time and set to close the season.
22:101976 marks the return of Alfa Romeo as an engine supplier to Brabham, while Matra leaves Shadow to power the
22:17debuting Ligier team, which fields a single car driven by the reigning European Formula Two champion, Jacques Lafitte.
22:23Speaking of top teams, Ferrari confirms the lineup that had brought the prancing horse back to the top over the
22:29previous two seasons, reigning world champion Nicky Lauda and Clay Regazzoni.
22:34The Italian team starts the season with the 312T, the title-winning car from 1975, while awaiting the debut of
22:42the T2.
22:43The 312T opens a new design cycle for Ferrari.
22:47Major innovations in the chassis and gearbox are also reflected in the full-width monoblock front wing.
22:54However, ties to the past remain, with radiators still separated and arranged along the two axes, influencing the shape of
23:02the side pods.
23:03At the front, large heat exchangers are positioned inside the wheels, making deep channels for hot air extraction, essential to
23:10evacuate heat along the sides of the car.
23:16Large air intakes are placed beside the suspension to feed the cooling flows, while at the rear, the longitudinal radiator
23:24layout ahead of the driven wheels is retained.
23:27The four-element configuration helps reduce the size of the heat exchangers and, to improve heat extraction, introduces a new
23:35exhaust layout with collectors running under the engine and further away from the radiators,
23:40meeting the cooling needs of Ferrari's powerful 12-cylinder engine.
23:47The line-ups are also confirmed at Brabham, with Carlos Reutemann and Carlos Baschi.
23:52At Shadow, with Tom Price and Jean-Pierre Jarrier.
23:56And at Tyrrell, with Jody Schecter and Patrick Depayet.
23:59As for Ken Tyrrell's team, the season begins with the old 007, but Uncle Ken and designer Derek Gardner had
24:07unveiled a prototype the previous September, the six-wheeled Project 34, causing both amazement and skepticism.
24:14We'll talk about the P-34 when we finally see it on track, despite the doubts of many journalists and
24:20engineers.
24:22Emerson Fittipaldi leaves McLaren to race with his own Copasucca team.
24:26The British squad, now without the Brazilian who had delivered its first world title, signs James Hunt, who had shown
24:32speed and talent with the modest Hesketh, but was nicknamed the Shunt for his aggressive driving.
24:38Jochen Maas is confirmed alongside him.
24:41For the first race, Colin Chapman puts Mario Andretti and Ronnie Peterson behind the wheel of his Lotus cars, later
24:48replaced in subsequent races.
24:50Also for the opening round, March enters a car for Lella Lombardi, the lady driver who in 1975 in Spain,
24:57finished sixth, becoming the second woman to race in Formula One and the first, and to date the only one,
25:03to score points, half a point to be precise.
25:07Turning to the circuits, 1976, besides the debut of Japan's Fuji Speedway, marks the return of Canada, which hosts Formula
25:16One for the last time at MoSport.
25:18The Spanish GP, which had ended tragically in 1975, replaces Montjuic with Gerama, while the United States hosts two Grand
25:26Prix at Long Beach and Watkins Glen.
25:28Now, all that's left is to wait for the engines to fire up at Interlagos, to begin understanding who the
25:34title favourites will be, which teams have prepared best for the season, and which drivers will prove fastest, in the
25:40next episode of Back to F1.
25:58Though I am that's left, right?
26:01For the and or guessed I'm not going to drive beyond.
26:02It is magic that you can be afraid of as Erasmus in yourебов or a bee, and which91.
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