The Australian Grand Prix promised chaos even before the race had begun. During the formation lap, Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar, making his debut in motorsport’s top tier in Melbourne, crashed. Several other drivers fell victim to the changeable conditions. Carlos Sainz and Jack Doohan went off early in the race, followed later by Fernando Alonso, Gabriel Bortoleto and Liam Lawson. The incidents led to three safety car periods.

It was not smooth sailing for McLaren either, despite appearing on course for a one-two finish. Lando Norris took the win, although he too had a moment when he briefly ran off track. Teammate Oscar Piastri was less fortunate, running onto the grass and losing second place to Max Verstappen. The local hero was able to continue and eventually fought his way back into the top ten.

Max Verstappen started from pole at Silverstone, but Red Bull struggled as rain transformed the race into a strategic lottery. Several drivers gambled before the start by switching from intermediates to slick tyres, immediately reshuffling the order. Early chaos followed, with virtual safety cars deployed after separate crashes involving Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto.

Conditions continued to deteriorate, prompting a full safety car, which returned later when Hadjar collided with Kimi Antonelli. The race’s decisive moment came when Piastri was handed a ten-second penalty for a “dangerous braking manoeuvre” behind the safety car, handing victory to Norris. Amid the mayhem, Nico Hülkenberg delivered a standout performance, securing the first podium of his career after 239 race starts.

The Monaco Grand Prix earned its place on this list for all the wrong reasons. In an attempt to spice up the notoriously processional race, Formula 1 introduced a rule mandating two pit stops for every driver. The aim was to inject strategic variety on a circuit where overtaking is almost impossible.

Instead, the rule produced a farcical outcome. Drivers deliberately slowed the pack to create artificial gaps, allowing teammates to pit without losing position. As many drivers had predicted, the experiment failed to deliver genuine excitement or unpredictability. Rather than revitalising the race, it reinforced Monaco’s reputation as one of the dullest Grands Prix of the season!

Mercedes and possibly Red Bull are exploiting a regulatory loophole to effectively raise engine compression ratios beyond the 16.0:1 limit once at operating temperature, by using components that expand when warm. This yields extra performance and lower fuel consumption, reportedly worth up to four tenths of a second per lap.

Ferrari argues this gives Mercedes and Red Bull a major advantage for 2026 and is lobbying for a ban, suggesting changes could be mandated after six or seven race weekends. Read the full story here.

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