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Hamilton Flexes Fitness as Mercedes Leads Early and Verstappen Laments New F1 Rules

Fresh limits for battery use in qualifying hint at rapid course corrections under the 2026 package.

Overview

  • - The FIA announced Thursday adjustments to electricity use and recharge rules for Saturday qualifying at Suzuka.
  • - Mercedes has set the early pace in Melbourne and Shanghai, with 19-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli taking his first win on March 15 in China.
  • - Lewis Hamilton, 41, said he trains harder than younger rivals and reported running about 100 km in Tokyo this week.
  • - Hamilton arrives after finishing third in Shanghai, his first Ferrari podium following a difficult 2025 season.
  • - The 2026 rules pair half‑electric and half‑thermal power with a push‑to‑pass boost, and the battery math has split opinions, with Max Verstappen saying he no longer expects to win this year.