RacingA 19-year-old rookie leads the world championship and Mercedes has swept the opening flyaways, and Nico Rosberg says that is proof the 2026 Formula 1 rules are working on track. After Kimi Antonelli’s wins in China and at Suzuka, and lively fights in Australia, Rosberg argued that the new hybrid era is already delivering wheel-to-wheel action despite loud complaints from drivers.
“F1 is pursuing the technology that is most relevant to society, so this power unit is probably one of the most efficient in the world. Fifty-fifty, 50% battery power, that’s a lot. And also, as you know, the fuels are CO2-neutral. Biofuels, synthetic fuels, a mixture of that,” Rosberg, the 2016 Formula 1 champion, said in an interview with Bloomberg. He acknowledged the awkward moments fans have seen with the energy systems. “There’s a lot of criticism at the moment as well, because you can see at the last race, they go down the straight, sort of flat-out bend, and have to downshift after the bend, whilst they’re still on the straight, because their battery power switches off,” he said in the same interview. “From a spectator point of view, it’s a bit awkward when you’re supposed to be going flat out with the highest performing Formula 1 car. Nevertheless, I’m a bit more easygoing on that, because from my point of view, as long as there are great battles, intra-team, and the other teams in the battle.”
Across the first three rounds in Australia, China and Japan, the new era has produced several changes for the lead, as reported. Australia alone featured nine overtakes in the first 15 laps before Mercedes shut down Ferrari’s early challenge. Mercedes has won all three races, with one-two finishes in the opening two. In the constructors’ standings, Mercedes leads on 135 points, Ferrari sits 45 points back, and McLaren is third, as reported.
Antonelli tops the drivers’ table by nine points over his Mercedes teammate after those back-to-back victories. He took pole at Suzuka, then a well-timed safety car helped him seal the win, as reported. Rosberg highlighted what that means for the show. “And what an amazing story we have, 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli, the ultimate underdog, is leading this world championship, three races in,” Rosberg, the 2016 Formula 1 champion, said to Bloomberg. He added that the teenager’s rise is pulling in fans well beyond the paddock. “He has so many fans. Even yesterday, at the conference here in San Francisco, at HumanX. Loads of Mercedes fans came, Antonelli fans, as I was walking up on stage, so it’s nice to see,” Rosberg said in the same interview.
Rosberg also pointed to the growing chase behind Mercedes. “Hopefully, Ferrari can use this gap now to close up to Mercedes. McLaren was there already in the last race,” the 2016 Formula 1 champion said to Bloomberg, arguing that if the battles stay this close, fans will focus on the racing more than the tech. Early evidence, and Antonelli’s start, supports his case.