Australia Quali

It’s the 2026 season start and we’re at the first race of Formula 1 in Albert Park. The two Mercedes head out for Quali. Verstappen and Russell drive out in tandem, Russell bringing up the rear. Whether figuratively or not, Russell bringing up the rear has been the theme throughout the entire practice season after Max signed his 2 year contract with Mercedes after leaving Red Bull. Max doesn’t play second fiddle, he’s a killer, he is in front.

Whatever said about him, Max doesn’t show his true connection to the rest of his team in public. He is usually seen talking to Dr Helmut Marko or Christian Horner. Don’t let that outward appearance fool you because Max has an electric way of connecting with his team. His sheer presence and aura have a way of drawing his team, whether Red Bull or Mercedes, to him in a way that is intoxicating. As soon as he joined, he set to work with his team to setup his Silver Arrow to dance on it’s frontend, just the way he likes it.

The Quali times come in: Leclerc P1, Hamilton P2 - three-tenths down, Albon P3 - four-tenths off Leclerc. Max starts his hot lap. The Mercedes looks good. He’s brought the tyres up to temp and the car sticks to the tarmac as it weaves through the turns in the afternoon sun. Max approaches Lakeside Drive the old T11/T12 chicane), hits the right hander - 330km/h pulling 5.4g and then instantly snaps left. The crowd holds their breath as he zooms off barely allowing them a good photo. The Mercedes, still black liveried from the previous year, crosses the line. P1 - five-tenths up. Russell - P2 a mere tenth off the pace. Max is back. Mercedes is back.

Max, Max, Max, Alpha Max

It’s been a tough time for Russell. He’s had to adapt. Max, coming from a team where he got to play fast-and-loose trying to fit into a team run with Austro-German precision and process. Russell watched in horror as Max did more than that. Excuses were made, shortcuts were taken and his top spot in the team was taken away. Then there’s Max’s dad. The insufferable Jos who yells, screams and bangs on desks more times than Toto Wolff ever did. Much like the viral Red Lobster seafood boils, Jos was seen everywhere, glowing bright lobster-red and screaming. Its funny how being 5th in the 2025 constructors championship makes all the process fly out the window. Victory at all costs it would seem. Russell can’t complain though, he’s got a good car this year and a pay bump. It pales in comparison next to Max’s $80 million, but it makes the sting a little less sting-y. Russell puts his head down and grinds it out, thankful that Mercedes know how to make more than one type of handling car. Max can have his over-steery, spin on a dime car, “I’ll keep my one just the way I like it thank you very much.”

Scorched Bollocks

Before Max, the closest a Dutch driver ever got to Mercedes was Nyck de Vries, and he was only a reserve driver. Of course the double-dose of Dutch directness has been weighing heavily on Mercedes. Both Max and Jos have been in encounters where the folks on the receiving end have walked away dazed. To them, they can’t understand what this kumbayah-bullshit, gather around the campfire, style of running a race team is. To Max, and even more, to Jos, scorched earth is the only way. Jos has resorted to this way of living his life ever since he scorched his testicles in 1994 in Hockenheim. Alas, he’s also dragged Max with him by the scruff of the neck. Thankfully, Max has a softer edge which he hides with Predator-like techniques.

The spectacle off track is as entertaining to watch as the action on track. Max and Jos know just one setting - Full Ahead. The coin-op arcade machines had an top-down 2d F1 game that my uncle would play. It had two gear settings: Low and High. Max is on High, always on. Even when he’s relaxing he’s driving; on the sim that. So far, no rules have been thrown on him but come mid-season and his style doesn’t prove like a winning formula, then we can rest assured Toto will be there to reign him in. One thing is good though. Good for the sport, good for the teams but mostly good for the fans. Having Max learn and drive under the leadership of Toto Wolff is the best thing that happened. Toto has a way of getting the best out of people, even the feral, like Max. This was a partnership that should have been years prior.