Five quick takeaways from F1’s first race of the new era in Melbourne

2026-03-08 · Yahoo Sports

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New Formula 1 is… different

There’s a lot to take in from Melbourne. One thing is clear: drivers are not the biggest fans of this new Formula 1. And it isn’t too difficult to understand why – they made their point clear in the media. It’s way too complicated, “unnatural” and counter-intuitive – and in some ways indeed reminds of Formula E. Some of the onboard footage, seeing how the cars decelerate at the end of the straights, is uncomfortable to watch for traditionalist fans, and the debate about whether F1 has gone a bit too far with the complexity of these rules is unlikely to stop anytime soon.

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Yet Melbourne is still just the first sample – and a lot has been said about how this is actually one of the most challenging tracks for F1’s new machines. It isn’t going to be the same on other circuits, and it’s perhaps unfortunate that the first impression of the new era of F1 is being formed based on the race in Australia.

Still, there have been more boring opening races – and if you forget about all the complexities, at least the first handful of laps delivered quite a show. Perhaps it isn’t too bad, after all?

- Oleg Karpov

Mercedes is well ahead, but not unbeatable

Look at the results, and you'll see what looked like an easy one-two for Mercedes from the front row to the podium. But while its qualifying advantage looked vast, F1 2026's opening race offered clues - and perhaps reassurances - that the Silver Arrows aren't fully in a league of their own over a race distance.

George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

In line with pre-season expectations, Ferrari is Mercedes' closest competitor, and the opening stint of the Albert Park race offered more entertainment than we had probably expected. It shows that with a massive development race looming, Mercedes is well ahead but not unbeatable.

What is more alarming, however, is just how much McLaren and to a lesser extent Red Bull appear to be behind over a race stint, with McLaren's Lando Norris suffering from excessive tyre degradation. That could be a track specific limitation.

Melbourne winner George Russell has certainly not done anything to get the bookies off his scent as he looks to capitalise on what could be his first-ever title winning car. Meanwhile, Kimi Antonelli looks set to break his duck as a grand winner any day now.

- Fil Cleeren

Oscar Piastri cannot catch a break

Adrian Newey said ahead of the Australian Grand Prix that Fernando Alonso was in a “hard mental place” amid Aston Martin’s woes, which have pretty much ended all hopes of a third F1 title for the 44-year-old. But at least he has the comfort blanket of already being a world champion which is something Oscar Piastri doesn’t have, following his collapse late last year.

The way he lost the 2025 title to McLaren team-mate Norris was damaging and a good start to the 2026 campaign was crucial for Piastri to completely bounce back from that, thus removing any doubts there may be around him.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

But he failed to do so by crashing at Turn 4 on the reconnaissance lap, meaning he didn’t make the start of his home grand prix. It may be a new year, but it’s almost like Piastri cannot catch a break because when was the last time he actually had a good result? Probably his win in Zandvoort last August.

That’s a long time ago and it’s more crucial than ever now that he finds a way to stop this rut, otherwise he’s going to get left behind by Norris and his rivals.

- Ed Hardy

No miracles for Aston Martin… nor will there be any in the short term

Aston Martin arrived at the Australian Grand Prix with alarm bells ringing, and Newey added to the concerns when, after an FP1 in which Alonso was unable to participate and Lance Stroll only completed three installation laps, he revealed that there were no spare batteries. Held back by the reliability of the Honda engine, the Canadian was also unable to qualify. Both drivers managed to do more laps than predicted by Newey ahead of the weekend – but it’s clear the team isn’t there yet.

After a very painful pre-season and a double retirement in the first round, the bad news for Aston is that the next race is coming up quickly, next week, and it doesn’t look like there will be any miracles there either. The team explained that they had to retire Alonso “to conserve components”, and ultimately the race confirmed the worst fears: there is no reliability… nor performance.

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Alonso hit the nail on the head on Saturday: even if they improve the chassis when they manage to complete races, there is a huge power deficit that will not be solved overnight, and in fact will not arrive until the ADUO system comes into action after the first six races, at the earliest. A nightmare for a project that, given its names and resources, was destined to do something great.

- Jose Carlos de Celis

Arvid Lindblad justifies his rapid rise

Arvid Lindblad shone on his Formula 1 debut. The 18-year-old driver delivered from the very first free practice session in Melbourne, where he finished fifth, and later reached Q3 in qualifying to secure a top-10 starting position for his maiden race.

The grand prix proved no exception. At times he climbed as high as fourth place while mastering the new tactical demands of driving a 2026 F1 car, and even found himself battling Max Verstappen as the four-time world champion recovered ground following his crash on Saturday.

Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

Lindblad may appear to have been fast-tracked through the single-seater ladder on his path to Formula 1 after being handed a seat at Racing Bulls following Isack Hadjar’s promotion to Red Bull. However, the Swedish-British youngster dispelled any lingering doubts with a composed drive into the points in Australia, finishing eighth. It will be fascinating to see how his season unfolds.

– Federico Faturos

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