COMMISSIONER'S CORNER February 16, 2026

Greetings, Colonists!

Your Commissioner writes to you from the fever pitch of F1 pre-season testing, where the desert heat of Bahrain has been matched only by the white-hot controversy blazing through the paddock. Buckle up—we've got drama, speed demons, engineering miracles, and one spectacularly absent British team to discuss.

BARCELONA: WHERE SECRETS WERE (SORT OF) KEPT

The 2026 revolution kicked off in late January with five days of closed-door testing at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya. And when I say "closed-door," I mean F1 went full CIA black ops on us—security turning away fans, no official timing, just whispers and rumors floating out like smoke signals from a clandestine operation.

What we did learn:

Mercedes came out swinging like they've got something to prove (spoiler: they do). George Russell and second-year driver Kimi Antonelli absolutely dominated the timesheet, with Russell setting a blistering 1:16.445 on Day 4 and Mercedes racking up a frankly absurd 499 laps over their three days of running. That's more mileage than some teams managed all week. Lewis Hamilton, now in his second year wearing Ferrari red, grabbed the fastest lap of the entire test on the final day—a 1:16.348 that put him two-tenths clear of Lando Norris. The seven-time champ might be settling into Maranello nicely, but wait until you hear what he's been saying...

McLaren showed pace with Norris and Piastri, though Oscar had some moments that looked more like ice dancing than F1 driving. Ferrari looked competitive but not dominant. Red Bull was ominously fast and reliable—Isack Hadjar topped the opening session, and the Milton Keynes squad looked like they'd brought a finished product while others were still debugging.

And speaking of debugging... Cadillac made their grand entrance! The 11th team on the grid, backed by General Motors and running Ferrari power, got Valtteri Bottas behind the wheel for their maiden voyage. Bottas, ever the pragmatist, described it as "cold" and focused on "de-bugging," which is Finnish for "we had some issues but that's totally normal for a brand new team please don't panic." The American squad revealed their livery during the Super Bowl halftime show (Bad Bunny, not the game itself—because nothing says F1 quite like interrupting a Puerto Rican reggaeton superstar to show off a race car). For a while viewers possibly thought that their TV's were on the blink as Cadillac have opted to not use a color palette...

Williams? Yeah, about that. They didn't show up. At all. Not a single lap. The Grove squad announced they were skipping Barcelona entirely after hitting production delays, leading to feverish speculation about failed crash tests and overweight chassis. Team boss James Vowles insists everything's fine and they'll be ready for Bahrain, but missing one-third of your total pre-season testing is... not ideal. Shades of their disastrous 2019 season are haunting the paddock. The good news? They eventually made it to Bahrain. The bad news? They're still Williams.

BAHRAIN: THE HEAT IS ON (AND SO ARE THE COMPLAINTS)

Testing moved to the Bahrain International Circuit this week for the first official sessions, and boy howdy, did the drivers have opinions.

George Russell topped Day 3 morning with a 1:33.918—the fastest time of the Bahrain test so far—putting Mercedes firmly in the "early favorites" conversation. Hamilton slotted into second, Max Verstappen third, with Oscar Piastri, Ollie Bearman, Franco Colapinto, and Carlos Sainz (now at Williams) filling out the top positions. Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson was the mileage king with 84 laps in the morning session alone.

But here's where it gets spicy...

THE GREAT 2026 REGULATIONS REVOLT

Max Verstappen, never one to mince words, absolutely demolished the new regulations in a press conference that sent shockwaves through the F1 world. The four-time champion called the 2026 cars "anti-racing," compared them to "Formula E on steroids," and said driving them is "not a lot of fun." His issue? The massive emphasis on energy management—drivers are lifting and coasting for 600 meters at Barcelona, downshifting aggressively to harvest battery power, and basically managing electrons instead of racing flat-out.

"As a pure driver, I enjoy driving flat out, and at the moment, you cannot drive like that," Max grumbled. "For me, that's just not Formula 1... maybe it's better to drive Formula E, right?"

The FIA was reportedly not thrilled with Max's candor, with officials allegedly requesting a meeting with Red Bull to discuss his comments. But Verstappen doubled down, refusing to rule out walking away from F1 early if the driving experience doesn't improve. "A winning car for me doesn't matter. It needs to be fun to drive as well, at this stage of my career," he said, while probably already browsing Nürburgring 24 Hours entry forms.

Lewis Hamilton joined the chorus of complaints, calling the regulations "ridiculously complex" and raising concerns about cars being "slower than GP2." Even Charles Leclerc chimed in about the absurd energy management demands.

On the flip side, reigning champion Lando Norris took a more diplomatic approach (read: took a shot at Max), suggesting that if Verstappen doesn't enjoy it, maybe he should retire. "I mean, any driver can go and find something else to do," Norris noted with the smugness of someone sitting in what appears to be a very fast McLaren.

So what's the deal? The 2026 power units split power 50/50 between the internal combustion engine and electric motor (up from 130kW to 350kW on the battery). Without the MGU-H from previous hybrid systems, drivers have to work hard to harvest energy—hence all the lifting, coasting, and aggressive downshifting. The cars are supposedly just as fast in ultimate pace, but getting there requires constant energy management that some drivers feel is more like playing a video game than pure racing.

ENGINE-GATE: THE COMPRESSION RATIO CONTROVERSY

As if driver complaints weren't enough, there's a brewing technical controversy that could make "Spygate" look like a friendly disagreement. Ferrari, Honda, and Audi are reportedly concerned that Mercedes and Red Bull may have found a "loophole" in the compression ratio regulations that gives them a performance advantage. The FIA is scrambling to keep this out of the courtroom and find a resolution before Melbourne.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, in peak Toto fashion, told complainers to "get your s*** together" and stop making "excuses before you even started." Adrian Newey (now at Aston Martin) cryptically referenced certain teams without naming names. Fernando Alonso diplomatically asked the FIA to ensure everyone "starts with the same rules."

This one's going to rumble on, folks.

THE PERFORMANCES (OR LACK THEREOF)

Aston Martin has been a major disappointment. With all the hype around Adrian Newey's first design for the team, the AMR26 has been slow and troubled. Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso are probably wondering if Newey left his magic pencil at Red Bull.

Audi surprised everyone by showing up early (car on track January 9!) and sporting dramatically different sidepods in Bahrain compared to Barcelona. At least someone's been busy.

Haas seems mid-pack but reliable—Ollie Bearman putting in solid work.

Alpine had Franco Colapinto causing a red flag and generally looking like they're still finding their feet. Some things never change.

Racing Bulls (or is it RB? VCARB? Does anyone actually know?) had Isack Hadjar putting in impressive pace before he decorated the Barcelona barriers. Liam Lawson has been eating laps like they're going out of style.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR FANTASY SELECTIONS

Alright, Colonists, let's talk brass tacks. March 8th is RACE DAY in Melbourne, which means your driver selections are due VERY SOON. Time to stop procrastinating and start strategizing:

BUDGET BEATERS TO WATCH:

Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - This Kiwi is putting in mega mileage and looking comfortable

Isack Hadjar (Red Bull/RB) - Topped early Barcelona sessions before binning it into the barriers (hey, it's pre-season, everyone gets one)

Oliver Bearman (Haas) - Solid, consistent, and won't break your budget

Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - Second-year driver in what looks like a rocket ship. No longer a rookie, so he knows the tracks, and Mercedes look scary fast

POTENTIAL LANDMINES:

Anyone at Williams if they show up to Melbourne still figuring out which end of the car goes forward

Aston Martin drivers might be beautiful budget picks if the AMR26 is as slow as testing suggests. Adrian Newey might need Adrian Newey to fix this one

Cadillac is a total wildcard—could be heroic, could be catastrophic. Bottas and Perez have 527 F1 starts between them, which is either reassuring or a sign they're collecting pension checks

BIG BUDGET PLAYS:

Mercedes looks scary fast and bulletproof reliable. Russell and Antonelli could be championship contenders

McLaren with defending champ Norris always brings it to Australia

Red Bull seems to have cracked the energy management code better than most, though Max might retire mid-season to go race touring cars

Ferrari with Hamilton and Leclerc could be potent if they sort the energy systems

THE DEADLINE APPROACHES

I cannot stress this enough: GET YOUR SELECTIONS IN. March 8th will be here before you know it, and I don't want to hear any sob stories about how you "forgot" or "didn't have time." You've got all the intel you need right here.

Also—and this is important—SPREAD THE WORD. We want the Empire of the Colonies to be the biggest, baddest Fantasy F1 league in Missouri (and beyond). Tell your coworkers. Tell your friends. Tell that guy at the coffee shop who always wears the McLaren cap. The more competitors, the more glory in victory. More teams means more trash talk, more drama, and more fun.

THE HYPE TRAIN LEAVES THE STATION

Ladies and gentlemen, we are THREE WEEKS away from lights out in Melbourne. Twenty-three races. Eleven teams. Twenty-two drivers (plus reserves who'll inevitably get called up when someone crashes/gets fired/decides F1 isn't fun anymore à la Verstappen's threats). New regulations that are either going to produce brilliant racing or Formula E-style energy management snoozefests.

This is the most wide-open season in recent memory. Mercedes might be back. McLaren might repeat. Ferrari might finally get it right with Hamilton (year two, anything's possible). Red Bull might overcome the "anti-racing" regulations to dominate again. Cadillac might shock the world. Williams might still be assembling their car in the Melbourne paddock.

Nobody knows what's going to happen. And that's exactly what makes it glorious.

So fire up those spreadsheets, crunch those budgets, study those testing times (while remembering that testing times mean absolutely nothing until they mean everything), and make your picks. Then prepare yourself for the most unpredictable season in F1 history.

The Empire awaits. Melbourne calls. Let's go racing.

Your Commissioner,

Mark