Formula 1 teams could reportedly be forced to implement a new rule at the Australian Grand Prix.
Next weekend, the much-anticipated 2026 F1 season will begin around Albert Park in Melbourne.
Teams took part in pre-season testing last month, with the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes producing impressive lap times.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin endured a torrid pre-season as they encountered several problems during their time in Bahrain.
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Ahead of next weekend's opening race in Australia, it has been reported that teams could be forced to trigger a brand new rule.
As per Scuderia Fans, the sport's governing body, the FIA, introduced a brand new rain hazard regulation ahead of the 2026 season.
It has been stated that teams could trigger the rain hazard rule to make set-up changes between qualifying and the main race.
In the FIA regulations, it states: "If the Official Weather Service predicts that the probability of precipitation is greater than 40% at some point during the Sprint or the Race at a Competition, or at the sole discretion of the Race Director, a “Rain Hazard” may be declared.
"a. At each AFC a Rain Hazard will be declared for the Sprint no later than two (2) hours before the start of Sprint Qualifying, in such case it will remain in force from the time of declaration until the end-of-session signal for the Sprint is given.
"b. At all Competitions a Rain Hazard will be declared for the Race no later than two (2) hours before the start of Qualifying, in such case it will remain in force from the time of declaration until the end-of-session signal for the Race is given. When an F1 Car is deemed to be in parc fermé whilst a Rain Hazard is in force, other than when the F1 Cars are sealed in accordance with Article B3.4.2 or B3.4.3, the work described in FIA-F1-DOC080 may be carried out."
Traditionally, once the car enters parc ferme, modifications are limited. Currently, the chance of rain for Melbourne next weekend is only at 20% but of course, things could change in the next few days.
In recent days, concerns have been raised over the early races of the F1 calendar due to the air strikes in the Middle East.
The US and Israel staged a joint military operation which included strikes in multiple locations in Iran, with President Donald Trump announcing "major combat operations" and stating that the intention was to "destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground".
In response, a number of US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan and Bahrain were targeted in retaliation strikes.
An F1 spokesperson told The Sun: "Our next three races are in Australia, China and Japan, not in the Middle East – those races are not for a number of weeks.
"As always, we closely monitor any situation like this and work closely with relevant authorities."
Marcus Chan