[Paal Gulli]

Fellas, a Ford engine qualified 3rd!

the cause of Verstappen’s lock-up:

“...At first, your initial suspicion would turn to a mechanical problem, such as a gearbox failure, that had caused the locking. In reality, the problem was related to energy recovery. The software began to glitch when reading the engine speed and the motion transmitted to the rear axle during downshifting....”

https://racingnews365.com/max-verstappen-australian-gp-qualifying-crash-cause-revealed

And if anybody’s interested, I posted an update in the eternal F1 thread about developments in Felipe Massa’s lawsuit against the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2309318/posts?q=1&;page=7116#7116

[Paal Gulli]

Outrage among fans after Australian GP qualifying

...Lift and coasting, energy deployment, batteries, super clipping - all terms modern Formula 1 now has to live with, but ones that have hardly been met with enthusiasm from either those inside the paddock or the fans.

Below are some of the most prominent reactions on social media, with users voicing strong disappointment over what they witnessed during the first qualifying session of the 2026 season...

There are more derogatory Twitter posts at the source story.