Raceday Recap: Round 1 Down Under!
For the past few months, I have been counting down the days until lights out in Melbourne - race week is finally here! It feels like it’s been ages since cars have been on track, so let’s recap the buildup to this beautiful, sunny Sunday in Australia. The first main thing to know is that the rules and regulations have faced complete upheaval, which you can read all about right HERE! Basically, the cars are overall much lighter and a little bit smaller, focusing on aerodynamics and downforce to maximize speed. Secondly, the start of the 2026 season has introduced an 11th team to the grid - say hello to Cadillac, the newest American F1 team! Former drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas are racing for Cadillac for the foreseeable future, and it’s amazing to see the return of two incredible race winners as they support the growth and foundation of a brand new team.
The top three from Saturday’s qualifying down under: George Russell on pole, Kimi Antonelli in P2, and Isack Hadjar starting from P3. Photo courtesy of Motorsport.
Qualifying on Saturday saw Mercedes’ George Russell claim his first pole position of the year, with teammate Kimi Antonelli taking the other front row spot. Isack Hadjar put up an impressive time for his first qualifying in the Red Bull, starting 3rd, a career-best. Charles Leclerc fed into Ferrari fans’ hopes by qualifying in 4th, with the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris behind in 5th and 6th, respectively. Lewis Hamilton seems to also have big hopes for the season, and put his Ferrari in a respectable 7th starting place on the grid. The Racing Bulls claimed P8 and P9, with Liam Lawson in front and sole rookie Arvid Lindblad behind. Lastly, Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto slipped in after the Racing Bulls, rounding out the top ten on the starting grid.
However, things went wrong before the race even started! At last year’s Australian Grand Prix, Isack Hadjar unluckily crashed during the formation lap. This year, however, home favorite Oscar Piastri spun into the wall during the reconnaissance lap, before his car even made it to the grid - this race was destined to be chaotic before it even started. After the lights went out, things got pretty rough in the first corner, with Leclerc edging past every other driver for P1 - after which Russell almost immediately took it back. Hadjar also launched forward to fight for the top spot, while Antonelli fell down a few places. On lap 3, Leclerc took the outside line to pass Russell, reclaiming first and sandwiching Russell between the two Ferraris. RB rookie Lindblad impressively worked his way up to P4 in the first corners of the race, while Antonelli worked his way back up to the top around laps 5 and 6. Russell reclaimed the lead briefly on laps 8 and 9, but Leclerc kept finding a way to get back in front of the Mercedes. Lap 9 also saw Franco Colapinto receive a penalty for a start infringement. Verstappen started from P20 but made it up to the points by the 10th lap, slowly picking off drivers. Out of nowhere, Hadjar’s engine gave out and started smoking, causing him to retire the race on lap 11 - simply heartbreaking. On lap 14, Fernando Alonso got on the team radio, letting them know that he was coming in due to massive power unit vibrations and battery preservations. Bottas ended his first race with Cadillac during lap 18, bringing out the yellow flag and a virtual safety car, allowing more of the frontrunners to pit for fresher tires.
The first few opening laps were nothing short of nail-biters! Photo courtesy of the Race.
The Ferraris committed to a one-stop strategy, meaning that while other drivers went into the pits from laps 15-20, they stayed on track during the virtual safety car. Meanwhile, Pierre Gasly was ramming into the side of Esteban Ocon (yikes), yet avoided a penalty. Leclerc pitted on lap 26, when there were no VSCs or flags, which commentator David Coulthard described as a “strategic error” - who’s surprised? (Sorry fellow tifosi…) Hamilton took the race lead when teammate Leclerc stopped for new tires, which didn’t last too long as his tires were also at the limit - the Ferrari driver was then passed by Russell, which allowed Hamilton to pit and try to come out in front of Norris. The action picked up again around laps 40-50, when the midfield was constantly being shaken up between Lindblad, Ollie Bearman, Bortoleto, Gasly, and Ocon.
Russell crossed the finish line in first place, taking his first win of the 2026 season. Antonelli maintained his P2 position, with Leclerc in 3rd and Hamilton in 4th - a celebratory result for Ferrari. Norris claimed P5, not the sweetest consolation prize for him after carrying McLaren for the race. Verstappen made it up to 6th place, followed by Bearman in 7th, Lindblad with a successful P8, and Bortoleto in 9th, one spot up from his qualifying. Taking the last point was Pierre Gasly, all that Alpine could really hope for.
Overall, this year’s Australian GP was just as topsy-turvy as usual, and so much fun to watch as an American fan - definitely worth staying up past midnight! This is just the first of many raceday recaps for the year, so as always, thank you so much for reading.
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Lights out and away we go,
Lucy xx
