The 2026 Formula 1 season gets underway properly with the 58-lap Australian Grand Prix.
The new campaign is one of the most eagerly anticipated in years, as a major regulations overhaul sets up one of the most unpredictable seasons in F1 history.
Mercedes and George Russell have stunned its grid rivals, after a dominant display in qualifying saw the Briton lead a team 1-2 and leave its nearest competitor almost eight tenths behind.
As such, Mercedes starts the 2026 Australian Grand Prix as favourite to win.
Isack Hadjar has made a promising start to life as a Red Bull driver, as he took third in qualifying with the team's new in-house Ford-backed power unit.
The Frenchman's performance was a boost to Red Bull, after four-time world champion Max Verstappen crashed out during Q1 having not registered a lap.
Verstappen, who has been one of the most vocal critics of the new generation of cars, will go from the back of the grid.
Ferrari will line up fourth with Charles Leclerc, after a small issue in the final segment of qualifying hindered his charge. Ferrari engines proved rapid during practice starts in testing, making the Scuderia one to watch when the lights go out.
Team-mate Lewis Hamilton will launch from seventh on the grid, with reigning world champion Lando Norris sixth after suffering front wing damage due to striking debris during Q3.
The sister McLaren of home hero Oscar Piastri lines up fifth, while the top 10 is completed by Racing Bulls duo Liam Lawson and rookie Arvid Lindblad, and Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto.
Mercedes dominated the 2026 Australian GP weekend, but Toto Wolff feels Ferrari is a huge threat
The 2026 cars have earned a lot of negativity from drivers this weekend, but Lewis Hamilton spoke to the contrary on Sunday.
Max Verstappen believes Red Bull’s pace deficit to Formula 1 frontrunners Mercedes and Ferrari is “not shocking” with no one area predominantly to blame for the shortcomings.
“I’m very negative about the rules, but I do feel really proud of the team and the engine side as well."
Verstappen casts Red Bull F1 verdict after Australian GP recovery
Charles Leclerc doesn't think so. The Monegasque thinks Mercedes had the pace advantage over Ferrari on Sunday in Melbourne.
You can read his - and team-mate Lewis Hamilton's thoughts on Ferrari's strategy below ⬇️
LECLERC INSISTS FERRARI 'COULDN'T HAVE WON' REGARDLESS OF STRATEGY
Reigning Formula 1 champion Lando Norris believes the Australian Grand Prix highlighted that McLaren is “nowhere near where we need to be”.
“Today was more of an understanding that we’re nowhere near where we need to be with the car, and we’ve got to improve that.”
Read the full story ⬇️
Ferrari Formula 1 team principal Fred Vasseur has defended his side’s much-criticised strategy at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
"I think they [Mercedes] still had, during the race, a delta of performance with us. The issue is not the strategy or the core, it's just the pure pace.”
Read the full story ⬇️
VASSEUR REVEALS REAL FERRARI 'ISSUE' AMID STRATEGY SCRUTINY
George Russell has hit back at Lando Norris’s damning criticism of Formula 1’s new generation of cars and believes he wouldn’t be complaining if he was winning.
Read the full story ⬇️
RUSSELL SWIPES BACK AT NORRIS F1 RULES CRITICISM WITH 'SELFISH' CLAIM
A number of F1 drivers have expressed frustration after the first race with the new car rules
And China is where we pick up again in just a few days time, and after all the talk and posturing of pre-season, consider our appetites whetted for this new era of F1. Definitely an encouraging start for these regulations, at least in race conditions.
Until then, check out the FULL AUSTRALIAN GP REPORT, and we'll reconvene in Shanghai in a few days time... adios!
Read the full race report from the 2026 Australian Grand Prix ⬇️
In conclusion, a pretty eventful opening race that arguably showed the new regulations in a more positive light than many had predicted.
Mercedes indeed has the edge, but Ferrari made sure it wasn't a walkover. In fact, it looks ready to challenge.
Did Ferrari's strategy call scupper its chances? Maybe, Leclerc isn't convinced, but how many times have we said that in the past, eh?
Norris and McLaren never looked in the fight, though seemed to find better pace as the race settled. Piastri's sighting lap crash a heartbreaking early end to his weekend
Hadjar's early exit and Verstappen's grid penalty means it's hard to draw conclusions about Red Bull, so we'll wait until China.
Full championship standings after the 2026 Australian Grand Prix
We've highlighted the strong performers, what about the rest?
Well, Aston Martin - as predicted - didn't go the distance, but at least it knows its start function works well. Alonso was tenth on lap one briefly. It's going to be a busy few days before China for the British team in its new relationship with a faltering Honda.
Cadillac got one car to the finish, while Perez was able to get his elbows out. It has some ground to make up but in the context of its late formation, it's a solid result
Big disappointment, arguably the biggest of the race, is Williams - both cars well off the pace and well outside the points, even with several DNFs.
| 2026 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results | ||||
| Pos | Driver | Nat. | Team | Laps |
| 1 | George Russell | GBR | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | 58 Laps |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | ITA | Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team | +2.974s |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | MON | Scuderia Ferrari HP | +12.519s |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | GBR | Scuderia Ferrari HP | +16.144s |
| 5 | Lando Norris | GBR | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team | +51.741s |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | NED | Oracle Red Bull Racing | +54.617s |
| 7 | Oliver Bearman | GBR | TGR Haas F1 Team | +1 Lap |
| 8 | Arvid Lindblad | GBR | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | +1 Lap |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | BRA | Audi Revolut F1 Team | +1 Lap |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | FRA | BWT Alpine F1 Team | +1 Lap |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | TGR Haas F1 Team | +1 Lap |
| 12 | Alex Albon | THA | Atlassian Williams F1 Team | +1 Lap |
| 13 | Liam Lawson | NZL | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | +1 Lap |
| 14 | Franco Colapinto | ARG | BWT Alpine F1 Team | +2 Laps |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | ESP | Atlassian Williams Racing | +2 Laps |
| 16 | Sergio Perez | MEX | Cadillac F1 Team | +3 Laps |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | CAN | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | +15 Laps |
| Fernando Alonso | ESP | Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team | DNF | |
| Valtteri Bottas | FIN | Cadillac F1 Team | DNF | |
| Isack Hadjar | FRA | Oracle Red Bull Racing | DNF | |
| Oscar Piastri | AUS | McLaren Mastercard F1 Team | DNS | |
| Nico Hulkenberg | GER | Audi Revolut F1 Team | DNS | |
"I think the person that is switching on the lights was a bit cheeky, because for the first part of the season for the cars to go so quick lights off, caught everyone by surprise and we were on the limit with the power unit. I think that played a bit in our hands.
"It was a very tricky race. Honestly at the start, I don't think anyone knew what to expect with the energy, then it is tricky fro the overtakes because you don't know when your battery will cut on the straight, so defending there is massive differences.
"So it has been quite challenging, but I am pleased to be battling for first. Unfortunately it didn't help us for the rest of the race, but it was a fun first part to the race. P3 is the best we could do today.
On whether strategy call not to pit under VSC like Mercedes robbed Ferrari of victory challenge: "I don't think so, but maybe I am wrong... it looked like Mercedes had a bit more pace than us, but maybe not as much as we saw yesterday.
"It was the best start (to the season) we could wish for. At the start the car was really bad and I lost of lot of places, so I find myself there and I had to recover. Overall it was a good race, the pace was strong, especially at the end."
"The racing was incredible on the first few laps, the overtake is so powerful it can provide a lot of action. It was a lot of fun at the beginning."
"I am glad you guys enjoyed [the battles], we had this suspicion that it was going to be a yo-yo effect, every time someone went ahead, it felt impossible to hold it.
"Obviously with this straight mode, we lose a lot of the front end of the car, so we understeer a lot around these corners - I am sure the FIA are going to have to look at it, it was a bit sketchy, but we made it home in one piece."
"It was incredible - a hell of a fight at the beginning. We knew it would be challenging, I got on the grid and saw my battery level had nothing in the tank, then made a bad start.
"Then had a tight battle with Charles, so I was really glad to get to the finish line. Thank you to the whole team, it has been a long time to have this car beneath us, it couldn't have started in a better way."
And Audi scores two points for ninth with Bortoleto.
Down to one car before the start, Bortoleto nonetheless proves Audi has built a very competitive base from which to progress - no mean feat when you consider the last time a new engine builder entered F1 was Honda!
We'll come back to Honda (Aston Martin) later...
Eighth for Lindblad is also a standout result, the rookie showing there is no alternative for the gumption of youth by dragging his car into third place at one stage on lap one.
While faster cars came by, Lindblad never looked anything less than a top ten driver from start to finish - you can't ask more of that on a maiden race weekend
Bearman picks up from where he left off at the end of 2025 as he increasingly establishes himself as a reliable point-scorer.
Really solid drive from 12th on the grid in a Haas that looks to have gotten a grip on these regulations better than the other midfield runners.
Norris wins out in his battle for fifth place against Verstappen - a good effort to defend after the Dutchman made gains on fresher tyres
Fairly miserable outcome for McLaren in the context of 2025, though.
Modest returns for Red Bull too, because while sixth is a good result in the context of Verstappen's grid position, it never looked better than the fifth-fastest car out there today.
It'll also be irked that it suffered a major engine failure on Hadjar's car while running in the top five.
"You ripper, great job!"
"WOOOOOO!" - Russell responds in kind before attempting a Borat impression.......