RACING: Teams on edge as F1 reset faces litmus test in Australia

MELBOURNE — Formula One begins a bold new era this weekend at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, as teams face sweeping technical changes for the first time under race conditions.

This year marks a major overhaul of both chassis and power unit regulations, the first in decades. Drivers and engineers are navigating uncharted territory, raising questions about how the changes will affect racing quality.

With cars running on 100% advanced sustainable fuel and near-parity between electric and combustion power, teams got a glimpse of the new era during winter testing. Still, how the reset will play out on race day remains uncertain.

"I'm certainly more comfortable now than I was a couple of months ago, with how to drive these cars and how to try and get the most out of them," McLaren's Australian driver Oscar Piastri told reporters Wednesday. "But there's still the saying: 'You don't know what you don't know.'"

Piastri said McLaren thought they had the cars figured out during winter testing, only to discover "a whole bunch of stuff" they still didn’t understand. With more power coming from electricity, drivers must carefully manage energy deployment and regeneration. The old drag reduction system has been replaced by a new overtake mode, giving extra power for passing.

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen described the changes as "like Formula E on steroids" and "anti-racing." Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali defended the updates, assuring fans that the season would still offer plenty of thrills.

‘Unnatural’ Driving at Albert Park

The impact of the changes will vary across circuits, leaving teams to adapt week by week. Piastri expects Sunday’s race at Albert Park to highlight the more "unnatural" aspects of driving.

"You’ve got power units that reduce in power at different points down the straights, and there’s a lot of unknowns, a lot of challenges," he said.

While the new regulations sparked hopes of a more open championship and potential disruptor teams, pre-season testing in Bahrain suggested a familiar top four: Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull, and McLaren.

Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley warned that the gap between the fastest and slowest teams could widen. "We’re already seeing the difference between the top teams and the rest, larger than it’s been in recent years," he told Reuters.

The addition of the new Cadillac team will make F1 tracks more crowded, though Aston Martin’s pre-season struggles may ease traffic at Albert Park. Despite technical guidance from Adrian Newey, the Honda-powered AMR26 completed few laps in testing and faces reliability issues. The cars are expected to race in Australia but may retire after only a few laps.

-Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Timothy Heritage/Reuters