Alvin's Formula One Blog

If you watched the first Bahrain test closely, you felt it straight away. This was a different Lewis. After a frustrating 2025 Formula 1 season where Lewis never truly looked at home in the Ferrari, the early signs from F1 2026 testing suggest something has shifted. The pace is there. The balance looks better. And maybe most importantly, Lewis finally looks comfortable. As an F1 fan who has followed Lewis through every era — from dominant title runs to rebuilding seasons — this Bahrain test felt significant. Not because of headline lap times. But because of how the car behaved underneath him. And in Formula 1, that’s everything. Strong Qualifying Pace In Bahrain Let’s start with the raw numbers. Lewis set the third-fastest time of the Bahrain test, finishing just behind the two Mercedes cars. On paper, that already places Ferrari firmly in the F1 2026 conversation. But testing is always layered with unknowns. Fuel loads vary. Engine modes differ. Teams hide performance. S...

Formula 1 is entering one of the most technically complex eras in its history, and even a seven-time world champion like Lewis is openly admitting that the 2026 regulations are not easy to decode. As pre-season testing in Bahrain continues, every lap of the new Ferrari SF-26 is revealing just how different this generation of Formula 1 cars will be. The shift to a near 50:50 split between electrical power and internal combustion engine output is fundamentally changing how drivers approach a lap. But what is becoming clear is this: while F1 2026 may look spectacular on the surface, understanding what is driver skill and what is software control could become incredibly difficult for fans. And Lewis did not hide that reality. A New Era Of Formula 1 Complexity The 2026 Formula 1 regulations represent a full reset. New power units. New energy deployment rules. Greater reliance on battery harvesting. And a far more integrated relationship between driver inputs and software algorithms. Eve...

Formula 1 is once again turning the page on its aerodynamic philosophy. As the sport heads toward the 2026 regulation reset, the brief flirtation with full ground-effect racing is coming to an end. In its place comes something far more dynamic, far more visible, and potentially far more influential for drivers like Lewis: Active Aero. For experienced F1 fans, this feels like a familiar cycle. Formula 1 experiments, learns, corrects, and experiments again. But this time, the changes are not just about how the cars look or how fast they go in a straight line. The 2026 F1 regulations are designed to reshape how drivers race, how teams design cars, and how battles unfold wheel-to-wheel. And for Lewis Hamilton, a driver whose brilliance often shines brightest in changing conditions and evolving technical eras, this new chapter could be a fascinating one. The End Of F1’s Ground Effect Era Ground effect was reintroduced in 2022 with one clear goal: reduce dirty air and allow cars to follow mo...

Formula 1 is heading for one of the biggest shake-ups in its history, and Lewis Hamilton believes the driver will play a “critical” role when the radical new regulations arrive in F1 2026. With all-new chassis rules, heavily revised power units, and the introduction of active aerodynamics, Lewis is convinced this new era will demand more from drivers than ever before. Speaking as teams begin early running with 2026-spec machinery, Lewis made it clear that this is not just another rules update. This is a complete reset of modern Formula 1. And for a seven-time World Champion who has lived through every major regulation change since 2007, that statement carries serious weight. A Regulation Change Like Lewis Has Never Seen Lewis has experienced dramatic shifts before, from the end of refuelling to the start of the turbo-hybrid era, but he believes F1 2026 stands apart from everything else. “The regulation shift is monumental,” Lewis explained. “I mean, it’s the biggest regul...

Formula 1 is heading for one of the biggest changes in its modern history in 2026, and at the heart of that reset is the end of DRS and the arrival of something entirely new: overtaking mode. For Lewis, for Ferrari, and for the entire F1 grid, this change is about more than just a different button on the steering wheel. It is about redefining how racing, attacking, and defending works in Formula 1. As a long-time F1 fan, this feels like a bold move that could either revive wheel-to-wheel racing or create a brand-new set of challenges for drivers and teams to master. Let’s break it all down in simple terms, explain how overtaking mode works, and explore why it could be a crucial factor for Lewis and F1 in the new era. The End Of DRS And Why Formula 1 Is Moving On From 2011 through to the end of 2025, the Drag Reduction System defined overtaking in Formula 1. DRS was simple: get within one second of the car ahead at a detection point, open the rear wing flap in the DRS zone, gain straigh...

Ferrari head into the 2026 Formula 1 season with pressure coming from every direction. After a deeply frustrating 2025 campaign, expectations inside Maranello are sky-high, especially from Lewis and Charles Leclerc. Both drivers endured a season that promised much and delivered very little, and neither is prepared to accept a repeat. For Lewis, 2025 was supposed to be the start of something special. Instead, it became one of the most difficult years of his legendary F1 career. For Leclerc, it was another painful reminder that raw talent alone is not enough without a car capable of fighting for wins and championships. Now, with a complete regulation reset for 2026, Ferrari have no excuses left. This is the season Ferrari must finally listen. A 2025 Season Ferrari Want To Forget Ferrari ended the 2025 Formula 1 season without a single race victory, finishing a distant fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. In pure Ferrari terms, that is failure. Even more damning was the fact that Lec...