Andrea Stella admits Melbourne will challenge 2026 Formula 1 power units

With emphasis now on electric power, the teams and drivers will need to find the most efficient way to extract lap time, as the battery pack will not be able to cope with the power demands, which will be even worse on some tracks, with Melbourne being one of these.

Max Verstappen has been vocal about the new power units while his fellow drivers have shared his concerns, albeit in a much more diplomatic manner, as F1 now seems to be heading into the unknown for 2026, not sure how the racing will be.

Speaking at the Bahrain preseason test on this topic, McLaren boss Andrea Stella said: "I think in 2026 we will have to look at the characteristics of the circuits, including this feature related to how easy it is as a circuit for the power unit requirement.

"So Barcelona was actually relatively demanding in terms of balance between deployment and harvesting. In Bahrain, it was relatively easier because you spend enough time in braking that basically you do all the harvesting braking. You don't need to do anything special in terms of lifting off, for instance, in order to add the time at which you harvest your power unit.

"Now we go to Australia," he went on. "In Australia we go back to one circuit in which it will be a bit more difficult. So in Australia it will be a little bit more difficult.

"I think we will see the drivers will be busier in terms of their driving style to make sure that the power unit is exploited in terms of harvesting energy and deployment of energy in a way that is efficient.

"And when we say efficient, it means efficient for a long time," the Italian concluded. (Reporting by Agnes Carlier)