Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Alex Powell: NZ Herald Sports Reporter on the 2026 Formula 1 season kicking off in Melbourne

Transcript

Alex Powell: NZ Herald Sports Reporter on the 2026 Formula 1 season kicking off in Melbourne · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Formula One twenty twenty six season kicks off in Melbourne today.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Liam Lawson, Well, he'll be hoping for a change in
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: favor after the same race last season saw and finished
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: well last.
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: I learned a lot. Last year was a very important
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: season for me, especially to survive it. I think that's
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: been something that I've learned a lot from so on
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: that side, I'm grateful to have done that and feel
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: a lot better going into this year.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Alex Powell, Herald's sports reporter in Melbourne this weekend. Alex,
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: good morning, good to have you on the show.
• 0:29
  Speaker 3: Thank you mate.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: How's it looking.
• 0:32
  Speaker 3: It's actually been a really tricky start to the year
• 0:36
  Speaker 3: for everyone. I mean there's new cars, there's new regulations
• 0:38
  Speaker 3: that's dictated how you can build them, so no one
• 0:41
  Speaker 3: really knows how it's going to go. Today's going to
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: be the first time we actually see these cars and
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: sort of race situation on track, so I think we're
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: all just waiting with data breath to see how they'll go.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: I was reading yesterday about Aston Martin only able to
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: do twenty five laps because of vibration issues.
• 0:59
  Speaker 3: Yeah, Aston Martin been a real sort of head case
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: all pre season they've completely changed their engine manufacturer, so
• 1:05
  Speaker 3: they're now with Honda. They've just had an issue after
• 1:08
  Speaker 3: a show. After issue, they've suggested that they might just
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: do the formation lap in Melbourne and then retire, which
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: would be crazy to not even officially start the race.
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: So it's again, it's another one of those things that
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: we're just waiting and seeing how it's actually going to
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: go once racing begins later this afternoon.
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: So what is that? How do you get into that position?
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  Speaker 1: How long did they have to make the cars for
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: the regulations?
• 1:31
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so we knew they'd been coming in for a
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: couple of years, but basically teams had to balance last year.
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: Do they want to be competitive and win in twenty
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: twenty five and put everything into tween twenty six or
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: go the other way around and try and compete in
• 1:43
  Speaker 3: twenty twenty five. That's right, Yeah, just hold themselves off
• 1:46
  Speaker 3: for this year. Assen Martin kind of did neither, so
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: they were a bit competitive last year and then now
• 1:53
  Speaker 3: they've sort of just given everything away. Fernando Alonso, who's
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: they've senior drivers, a two time world champion. He just
• 2:00
  Speaker 3: looks absolutely devastated whenever he does anything with the media
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: because he knows they just don't have a car it's
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: going to be able to compete at all.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: From what you've seen, and I know you've been talking
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  Speaker 1: to him, is Liam looking sound and confident.
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: Liam's a very confident guy. Just by who he is.
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: That does come across as arrogance to some people, but
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: he is just He's one of the most self believing
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: people I've ever met. I think he has personally everything
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: he needs to have a really good season. But again,
• 2:29
  Speaker 3: it's all going to come down to the car. Like
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: that is just the repeat message you're getting from not
• 2:34
  Speaker 3: just Liam but all the drivers. We don't know what
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  Speaker 3: the car is going to be like in comparison to
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: everyone else.
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: I guess it makes it more exciting, does it.
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: Yeah, that's why they've done it. I mean, there was
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: so much criticism over the last few years about Formula
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: One and being so predictable. No one really overtakes anyone
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: on track. We had breakfast out at Mercedes yesterday and
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: COMMI inside, he is about nineteen years old, was saying,
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: But what they've done with the new regulation changes is
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: you're going to get more overtaking in areas of tracks
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: that you just didn't in the past and so from
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: a fans point of view, that's great, but there are
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: a lot of you know, traditionalists who are really anti
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: it because it's just not the racing they're used to.
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: So I mean it's going to be really good for neutrals.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: Appreciate your time this morning, Alex. Go back to bed.
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: Alex Powell, the Herald Sports supporter in Melbourne for us
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  Speaker 1: IF one kicking.
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: Off for more from Earlily Edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: live to News Talks at B from five am weekdays,
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.