Rivals unite against Mercedes as Hill warns of Australian GP qualifying gap – round-up
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On the eve of Bahrain pre-season testing, it is time to round-up the latest F1 news headlines, after what was a busy day of key updates.
Amidst all the chatter surrounding Mercedes’ new engine, Cadillac F1 chief Dan Towriss spoke of a united opposition having been formed. 1996 World Champion Damon Hill meanwhile has warned of a sizeable field spread come the opening race in Melbourne. All this and more, so let’s get to it.
Mercedes facing united front against its engine?
According to Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss, this is the case.
Towriss claimed that talks are ongoing with the FIA over a solution, with reports pointing to Mercedes as a team which has exploited a compression ratio loophole in the new regulations.
Towriss stated that “there’s unanimous views outside of Mercedes” about what the outcome should be.
Read more – Cadillac F1: Rivals united against Mercedes on engine saga
Mind the gap in Australia?
Excluding Liam Lawson and Esteban Ocon, the bottom two drivers, less than seven-tenths covered the Melbourne Q1 field in 2025.
But, when the new-look F1 2026 cars debut in Melbourne, Hill is predicting that field spread to expand to 1.8 seconds.
Read more – Damon Hill warns F1 could face big qualifying gap at Australian GP
Fernando Alonso fears for F1 2026 driving joy
Extensive energy management looks set to play a very prominent role behind success at the wheel of these F1 2026 cars.
Two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso, the sport’s most experienced driver, fears this could take “some of the joy” away from driving.
Read more – Fernando Alonso warns F1 2026 risks ‘less joy’ with robot-style driving
Kimi Antonelli unhurt after road traffic accident
Kimi Antonelli walked away “completely unhurt” after he was involved in a car accident in San Marino on Saturday.
The Italian will drive the Mercedes W17 on Wednesday afternoon in Bahrain.
Read more – Mercedes confirm Kimi Antonelli unhurt after road accident before Bahrain test
Bahrain testing: What to look out for
The F1 2026 pre-season unofficially commenced in Barcelona. But, proceedings officially get underway on Wednesday with the start of Bahrain testing.
From lap counts, to flow-vis, to new F1 technology and more, PlanetF1.com’s Sam Cooper has compiled a list of things to watch out for in Bahrain.
Read more – What to watch out for at F1 2026 pre-season testing in Bahrain