Two of Formula 1’s top drivers said the racing in the first race of the new season reminded them of Mario Kart.
The Australian Grand Prix saw an unusual number of changes of position between cars. Many of the passes occured as a result of the series’ new power unit rules.
Drivers have more electrical boost which they can deploy at different points around the lap. The new Overtake mode gives an opportunity to use an additional boost to any car less than a second behind another.
Max Verstappen made a series of overtakes as he climbed from 20th on the grid to finish sixth. However he said the new rules have made the racing less authentic.
“If you enjoy that, okay,” he told Viaplay. “But that’s what I do at home and I play Mario Kart.
“For me personally, I didn’t really enjoy that. The way that you were racing is not really proper, let’s say like that.”
Charles Leclerc made a similar comment independent of Verstappen’s remarks during the race. The Ferrari driver was locked in a battle for the lead of the race with George Russell for the first 11 laps.
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The pair swapped positions several times, sometimes more than once on a single lap as one used more energy to pass the other, then lacked the power to defend their position, or fell prey to their rival’s Overtake mode.
At one point Leclerc’s race engineer told him, “you have overtake [available] for the entire lap.”
“This is like a mushroom [power boost] in Mario Kart,” replied Leclerc.
Other drivers were unimpressed with how the power units have changed how they attack and defend. Lando Norris described it as “artificial racing.”
However race winner Russell defended the changes to the rules and said drivers should not criticise them too hastily.
“It’s definitely different but I think the interesting thing with these regs is every track we go to, they’re not always going to be like this. We’re going to Shanghai next where you’ve got one big, long straight, so the majority of drivers will be using their energy on that one straight. You don’t need to divide it up between four like you do here in Melbourne.
“Everyone’s very quick to criticise things. You need to give it a shot. We’re 22 drivers. When we’ve had the best cars and the least tyre degradation and when we’ve been happiest, everyone moans the racing’s rubbish. Now drivers aren’t perfectly happy and everyone said it was an amazing race.
“So you can’t have it all, and I think we should just give it a chance and see after a few more races.”
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2026 Australian Grand Prix
- Verstappen accused Lindblad of “brake-checking” him in the pit lane
- “It’s a big advantage to be second”: Russell and Leclerc’s radio from their lead battle
- Leclerc went from fourth to first at start despite ‘very low battery’
- First-lap near-miss with Lawson was “scary moment” for Colapinto
- F1 has become like Mario Kart with new rules, say Verstappen and Leclerc
Published by
Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 – when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring journalist, Keith began running the site full-time in 2010, achieving a long-held ambition to dedicate his full attention to his passion for motor racing. View all posts by Keith Collantine