F1 Australian Grand Prix live updates: Latest from Melbourne as final practice delayed, with qualifying to come

The FIA has made a change to the Straight Mode zones in Australia for this weekend on safety grounds — but it will have a knock-on effect to teams’ preparations.

This year, F1 has introduced active aerodynamics where flaps on both the front and rear wings open on certain parts of the track (designated Straight Mode zones) to provide greater straight-line speed and improve the efficiency of the cars.

At Albert Park, five Straight Mode zones were designated including one through the long, sweeping kinks between Turn 8 and Turn 9.

But this zone has now been removed, with FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis telling reporters in Melbourne on Saturday that this came after driver feedback from the opening two practice sessions on Friday.

Tombazis said drivers felt they were experiencing too little downforce through the sweeping section and they could risk losing control of their cars, prompting the FIA to remove the Straight Mode zone from FP3 onwards.

“This is a rather draconian solution,” said Tombazis, who noted the FIA was still learning how to best implement the new Straight Mode rules in the best way amid F1’s rule overhaul for 2026 with the new car designs. But he anticipated there would be better ways to respond at races in the future.

Because the wings will now be closed all the way from the entry of Turn 6 through to the exit of Turn 10, the teams will need to adjust their car setups, including ride heights, to account for the change.

It’s unlikely to draw much of a positive response from the teams, given they only have one hour of practice remaining before their cars get ready for qualifying.

Tombazis said in the press conference that his phone had not stopped vibrating while he was talking, suggesting there may already be some pushback.