New F1 era begins: Russell rules Australia? Hamilton comeback? Aston Martin forfeit?

0:02George Russell:This is a Global Player Original Podcast. Well, this is it. The first race of the season is just days away and no one can call it because of the huge changes in Formula One this year.

0:13Lewis Hamilton:Who is everybody's money on? Could it be the reigning world champion Lando Norris? Or could it be George Russell, whose Mercedes is the talk and the envy of the paddock? Could this be the ultimate comeback for Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari? Who would dare write off the four-time champion Max Verstappen? And anyone putting any money on Aston Martin actually finishing the race in Melbourne? Well, later we'll be answering a question from comedian Jack Whitehall and a special something ahead of International Women's Day. It's Will. It's Naomi. It's David. It's Jolie. Now let's get you up to speed.

0:59Lewis Hamilton:Right, everybody. It is a huge week. It is race week. Finally, I feel like we've been talking and talking about this moment. It is finally upon us. But more importantly, we have just witnessed the beginning of the Formula One royal wedding. What did you all think and make of it? Can I just start by saying that that has to be one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever seen. and to only find out that this is part one of the wedding. They're getting married again next year. For those that might not know who got married, Charles Leclerc and his gorgeous wife now, Alexandra, have just got married.

1:33I was going to jump in on that, Julie, because you said exactly what I feared you would because I'm actually getting married in the same registry office in a few weeks ahead of a, let's say, celebration marriage in Scotland in July. and he's stolen my script. I've got my nice 1971 classic Mercedes. You know, I'm sure my fiance is going to be in a beautiful white dress. They've gone and stolen it. I'm pissed off. Well, to put it into perspective how social media feels about it, the race week announcement post that we've all been waiting for posted on F1's channels, I think it got like 1.2 million likes.

2:14The wedding photos got 2.6 million likes. so we can kind of see where the fan priorities are for this week but I'm ready to get stuck into race week

2:24George Russell:It's all about the car I don't think there's a more beautiful car on earth but they looked so happy and wedding day is a blissful occasion just gorgeous, super happy for them you know, what a lovely way to start the year just perfect for them both and it could be an amazing year for Charles started off in the best possible way Well, Ferrari are full of love we've spoken on a previous episode about Lewis and his new love and we're still waiting to see that develop into the public eye. But if both of their drivers are all loved up, then what are they capable of achieving? Love that, love that.

2:58Lewis Hamilton:Well, Australia, the clock is ticking. DC, you're already down under. What can you report? Yeah, well, obviously, those who've arrived here ahead of some Middle Eastern conflict are here ready to get on with the action. So of the drivers, I suppose Oscar's already in town. Some of the younger guys may have hit town already. Some of the more experienced drivers, I guess, are rerouting to make sure they're here. So look, I'm confident that we will have a Grand Prix. I'm curious to know just exactly what the running order is, because we've only had a little tickle of that through pre-season testing.

3:36And I'm done with speculation. I'm done with people asking, oh, who's going to win? So let's get it on. Let's go and see who's fast. Well, the big speculation of this week, which I'm not even sure is speculation anymore, I think it's pretty much confirmed, is the fact that Aston Martin are planning to run for the formation lap and a few race laps and then retire the car. I'd love to know, Naomi and DC, as drivers, getting that news, what can you imagine is going on internally right now?

4:08Lewis Hamilton:A lot of frustration, I would say. you know we talked in a few episodes ago about just how disappointing the testing phase was for Aston Martin but mostly because there was so much anticipation around this new Aston Martin team with Adrian Newey at the at the front of the team and for them to start the season on such a back foot and then to even have to potentially we'll have to wait to see what happens go all the way to Australia which they have to do that it's in the regulations that the teams must show up unless they want to pay a really, really big penalty. So they're going to participate.

4:39Lewis Hamilton:But the fact that they're talking about not even completing the race is really disappointing and frustrating because it just goes to show how much work they have ahead of them and how much they're going to be clawing back for quite a long time. So I think the drivers and the whole team are going to be highly disappointed with the situation and this inevitable disaster that they're now in.

4:57George Russell:Are they even going to qualify? Yeah, look, it's not good. The question of whether they're going to qualify, I think is a key one. So in Formula One, you have to set a qualifying time within 107 % of the best time of the day. And that in and of itself, given what we saw in testing, it's not a guarantee. It's not absolutely certain. We saw them not really take part in the last day of pre-season testing because they were so low on parts, the engine, the battery, everything in that very new power unit for the year apparently is shaking itself to pieces when the car is on track. Honda have a huge amount of work to do.

5:34George Russell:And ultimately, it's about Honda. Honda is the issue here. And all of that work, all of the genius of Adrian Newey, they just can't put it on track. They can't even see at the moment whether it's any good or not because the engine in the back of it won't allow the thing to run. It's a disaster. I can't recall a time other than going back to the late 1990s and when Lola turned up as a constructor in Formula 1 and there was all of this hype. They got sponsorship on board from Mastercard, which was a huge deal back then. It was a massive title partnership. And they both failed to qualify for the Australian Grand Prix.

6:08George Russell:I can't recall a time since then that it's been this kind of sketch. Well, the last time we had this sort of difficulty was when Honda provided an engine to McLaren. And that relationship did not end well. And what was the misfortune for Honda and McLaren's relationship then became this building successful period with Red Bull. they will bounce back, but with massive penalties, because they're going to have to go through the budget cap to develop that engine into something that is operational and capable of giving that team an opportunity. I think how you operate as a driver in these situations is you've got to focus on your job.

6:49You don't design the engine, you don't design the car, you've got to trust in the people around you. But what I think it is, and we can all accept, this is last chance saloon for Fernando Alonso. Once his Aston Martin journey is done, he's not going to Ferrari, he's not going to Red Bull. You know, he's 45, brilliant as he is, and we've got tremendous respect for him. This is the final year or the final two years of his career. Lance Stroll, what, do you think he's going to turn around and say, oh, I'm going to go and drive for another team? First of all, who would have him? And second of all, he's not going to say that.

7:24So he'll just keep doing what he does until they eventually get a winning car?

7:28Lewis Hamilton:Well, we know who certainly will have him. It's his dad, Lauren Stroll. And that's going to be one person who for sure, more than anyone else, will be very frustrated. They've invested so much money into this new team with the new facilities that they've invested in recently, new wind tunnels, bringing in personnel from around the paddock that have a lot of experience and are highly sought after. So they've thrown a ton of money at this, being able to get Adrian Newey on board, all of these things that sort of put them in a great position. And then unfortunately, they've turned up with this engine that just doesn't work.

7:59Lewis Hamilton:So I can imagine that the pressure is on. I believe that Andy Kyle headed over to Honda to, you know, see what they can do and speed up the process of getting these things back on track. But yeah, a very dismal note for Aston Martin to be starting on. We'll have to wait to see how that one evolves this weekend. But now let's talk about something a little bit more positive, right? A lot of talk about Mercedes. But why have people not talked more about McLaren and the reigning world champion Lando Norris, as I mentioned in the opening?

8:24George Russell:Fascinating one, isn't it? And I think ultimately, I believe it's because the customer teams didn't have the full race spec engine in testing. So they may not have had the times on the board or been able to push quite as hard and as fast and as soon as the factory team did. And the fact that the factory team came out of the box with, you know, pretty much bulletproof reliability. And with testing, you know, we also can't look at the times. And so reliability is a really key factor here. Mercedes were doing race setups and running race distances really from the first couple of days of the test.

8:56George Russell:And that's always a very, very positive sign. So I think that's why the focus is on Mercedes more than the customer teams. But it is intriguing when you get into a new rule cycle that the team that dominated the previous generation or the team that is the reigning champion, they don't necessarily go into the season as the favourites. Yeah, look, there's no way you can, with a complete regulation reset, go, well, past performance is going to give you a little lead into the year. For me, it's about the power unit is the dominant factor. We know that Mercedes's car last year wasn't too bad. We know that McLaren obviously had a slightly better aero package and were able to exploit that Mercedes engine.

9:33But it does seem that all of the Mercedes engine runners are going to be in a reasonable shape. That even includes Alpine, who I'm tipping as the most improved team of the season in comparison to their dismal performance of last year. Is that because you're friends with Flavio, do you see? That's because Flavio and I go way back. Not all the way back to some of his more dubious times. But no, I just think that the DNA of that team is a winning world championship team. They've lost their way for many years. Renault underperformed. They've now pulled out of Formula One. So I think the safe bet, if anyone's going to bet on who will win the world championship, then just pick one of the Mercedes teams.

10:15The outside bet is, you know, are Ferrari really as good as they've looked in pre-season testing? And, you know, Red Bull, can they develop that package with a completely, you know, their virginal engine, if I can call it that, the very first time they've popped an engine out of their factory, they seem to have a very good

10:36George Russell:starting point. I think the fascinating question coming into this opening weekend from that perspective is you've got your two big engine manufacturers in Mercedes and Ferrari who are supplying a number of teams and we're expecting them to be at the forefront. You know, Ferrari had a really good testing program. Their launches appeared to be really good. You know, their race starts and ferrari have designed an engine around that but then how do mercedes versus ferrari how does that play out in the race how will it affect the factory teams and then how will the customer teams go because let's not forget has and uh cadillac are both running ferrari engines this year in 2026 and there's you know a lot of hope and expectation on on the two american teams for this year as a result of that and you've got those two well-entrenched well-established manufacturers kind of against everybody else because the two Red Bull teams are running the Red Bull Ford engines in the back.

11:28George Russell:Audi are coming in with a brand new power unit. We've already talked about Honda, you know, really having their struggles at Aston Martin. So how did they all fare compared to the big boys? You know, who's got it right? And what are the gaps ultimately going to be when we hit the track?

11:44Lewis Hamilton:Well, I certainly don't know about you guys, but I'm very, very excited. I mean, there's been a lot of negativity. There's been some positivity. I mean, we all kind of don't know what to expect, what to think, what to feel about these new regulations and what Formula One is going to look and feel like in 2026. But I, for one, am certainly ready for lights out. Coming Sunday. I mean, I'd love to know, you know, how the drivers are feeling. Obviously, they haven't raced now for so long. They've had this off season. I had an interview earlier about Piastri, how, you know, McLaren have been working on their strategy a lot more.

12:15hopefully there's going to be less of this papaya rules and potentially more of a firm number one

12:21Lewis Hamilton:driver number two driver also we don't want to see that we want to see them race let them yeah last thing you want is one and two look the honeymoon is over ladies and gentlemen this is history repeating itself you know bclaren have tried they've lectured us on papaya rules and the team spirits and the the way that they go about racing and everything what they are forgetting is that race drivers are selfish, bleep, and if they're not, they're probably never going to really get that chance to fight for a world championship. If they give them a car which gives them a chance to win Grand Prixs and fight for a championship, it's over.

13:01The friendship, all of that, you know, you've got to get your elbows out. And I'm saying this not as someone who did. I'm saying it as someone who wishes he did. If I could have spoken to myself as a young driver, I would say worry less about upsetting people and care more about what do you need to win. So off the back of that, DC, I mean, look, we've obviously got the constructors and we've got the driver's championship. But how much would you argue that it's not a team sport? This is the thing that makes this sport so beautifully complicated. And one of the most difficult managerial roles in any sport is in Formula One, because the teammate winning is going to be happy and the teammate who's finishing second is not.

13:42It's just human nature. So the whole team thing, it's a bit like families with three kids. You always like one of them more than the other, not because you love one more than the other. You just, you're more compatible with one other than the other. And anyone who doesn't admit that is living in some sort of utopian world. I'm the favourite in my family. It's lucky you've got one child.

14:09George Russell:DC, you know, I don't necessarily want to bring this up too much, but we like to give you a ribbon every now and again. You're on a tour of Australia at the moment with Mika, your McLaren teammate. You had to let him through one year in Melbourne. So I'm just wondering, on the tour, when you take the stage, does he let you go first? Do you come out together or do you have to let him through to go on stage first? Actually, we've been going through this over the course of the cities we've been going to. So we do one night, he gets announced first and walks out. And the next night I get announced and walk out, which reminds me of how McLaren and Mercedes used to give the engines to the drivers.

14:52The number one mechanics would pull out a number from a hat and that would determine whether one engine went to my car or one engine went to me because such was the paranoia that someone was going to get something better. It had to be random.

15:05George Russell:Joe, you mentioned it earlier. drivers haven't been racing for a while i mean it's not that long when was the last time december it's a couple of months it's a they need a break um but how much naomi uh are the drivers looking forward to getting back in in the cars obviously i would imagine post testing you know as most seasons you have so much that you learn in that period and then you just want to get on track and see if what you think you've learned is is real but you know how much is there that anticipation and that real desire to get out on track now and get racing?

15:36Lewis Hamilton:This year more than ever, even though you're always excited to go racing and there's always a bit of rust, you know, to get off of you, I think this year more than ever, I'm sure there's a bit of nervousness around what racing looks like and what it means and how they go racing this year is going to be very different to what it was last year. So there's a huge amount of learning that would have happened over testing. But I think as much as you can run race simulations and testing, the real deal is very different. I mean, where are they going to want to deploy that power or, you know, harvesting, as I said, on a different circuit is going to be very different.

16:07Lewis Hamilton:And just being in an actual race situation, trying to overtake your opponents. And it's in the past where maybe the fastest sort of lap times throughout the distance of the race equals the winner, right? This is one of your lines, Will. How do I put that into a line that sounds more obvious?

16:24George Russell:But if you finish the race in the fastest time, you win the race.

16:28Lewis Hamilton:Exactly. That's the one. Well, I mean, this set of regulations doesn't necessarily favor the very fastest driver and the fastest lap times outright. It's going to be a lot about energy management. And so I think things are going to look very different. And I would love to know how the drivers are feeling about it because it's going to be a first for all of them. And we heard things like it's very complex, not just for the drivers, but also for the engineers. So I'm really looking forward to seeing how they handle it all. But I think everybody's very excited to get back racing. Yeah, you know what?

16:56boo-hoo for the multi-millionaire racing drivers who've got to work out how to use the toys to their best advantage. The quickest guys will still drive the car through the corner on the edge of adhesion, irrespective of harvesting or deployment. They will then be at the mercy of how good the engineers have created the battery technology and all of the other tools that the drivers will then use. So the drivers are not designers. You know, I always kind of giggle when I hear some commentators talk about how, you know, the driver, you know, he's really an engineering mind. You're either quick or you're not quick.

17:42I've never seen a race driver since probably Jack Brabham design a race car, and I'm not even sure if he designed it. who are our predictions? I know none of us like doing predictions, but it's the first race. I think our listeners will want to know. And before you hear what we're going to say, make sure you comment at UpToSpeedShow what your predictions are. Okay, I'm happy to go first. And I've got a little prompt to help me. Oh, very nice.

18:04Lewis Hamilton:So if those of you are actually tuning and listening, Jolie is currently holding up a very beautiful George Russell mini helmet. It's really nice and blue. George Russell's got my win for this weekend. Okay. I was going to do a podium prediction because I feel like a victory is a bit too easy. I'm going to align with Jolie on the top step of the podium as George Russell. I then will go Oscar Piastri because it is his home race. I mean, he grew up a stone's throw away from the circuit. So we're going to go Oscar second. And then third on your podium, Charles Leclerc. Mr. Charles Leclerc, newly husband.

18:43Well, I'm going straight for the home hero. I'm going Oscar Piastri for the win. Australia has not had that for a long time, if ever. So Mark Webber came up short with it. Daniel Ricciardo came up short with it. It's long overdue.

19:00George Russell:Love that. I'm going to go with a Lewis Hamilton win. I think the Ferrari looks really good. And, you know, maybe Mercedes don't want people to think that they've really got an engine advantage. So they'll give Ferrari the season opener, knowing that they're going to batter them for the rest of the year. And Cadillac points on debut.