The new Formula 1 season is less than a fortnight away with action to get underway in Melbourne on March 6th at the Albert Park Circuit. The curtain raiser may still be a few days away but we’ve already had plenty of drama and back and forth between drivers at pre-season testing in Bahrain.

Reigning world champion Lando Norris and Max Verstappen have both spoken out about their new cars ahead of the campaign, with the latter not enjoying the new regulations. The four-time world champion has dropped further retirement hints, while Mercedes’ driver George Russell says the new Red Bull-Ford engines are “pretty scary.”

Verstappen, however, dismisses those claims, stating, “any good team with a Mercedes engine will do well,” which also includes McLaren, Alpine, and Williams. Mercedes have also made the first move since pre-season testing concluded, appointing Theo Pourchaire as their new development driver.

The former F2 champion joins their driver roster three years after his triumph in the FIA feeder series, having failed to secure a spot on the F1 grid.

Express Sport will keep you up to date with all the latest F1 news before the first Grand Prix weekend of the 2026 season…