Formula One Gradebook: Australian Grand Prix

Written by Maham Mir, Edited by Meghana Sree

Opening lap action in this new era in F1 history | Credit: Formula One

The 2026 Australian Grand Prix officially ushered in the start of the new regulatory era in Formula One. To celebrate this new milestone in F1 history, George Russell took a commanding victory to bring Mercedes back to the front of the grid with his teammate Kimi Antonelli coming home in P2. 

Also celebrating were the two new names on the grid, Audi and Cadillac. While the former were able to bring home their first F1 points, the latter were left with lots to consider after their only remaining car in the race came home in last place, but still marked the beginning of an exciting new journey for the American outfit.

The margins in the midfield continue to grow smaller while it seems the Silver Arrows have an early advantage that may be vital depending on the development of the other front-runners.

Here’s how, for the first time since 2016, all 22 drivers performed on race day.

Mercedes

George Russell: A+

Russell was determined to open his account in F1 in 2026 with style and that’s exactly what he did at the opening race in Albert Park. Having secured his eighth career pole position by a sizeable margin, it seemed but a foregone conclusion that it would be Russell and Mercedes lifting the trophies at Sunday’s podium celebrations.

Even with the lead of the race changing hands multiple times in the opening stages, there was not a moment during the entire weekend where Russell didn’t seem calm, cool and collected. The battles against Charles Leclerc as well as the well-timed strategy calls gave Russell the edge over the other 21 drivers on the grid. 

Now leading the World Drivers’ Championship for the first time in his career, all eyes will be on the British driver to see if he can continue extracting the maximum from the W17 in Shanghai next week.

This is Russell and Antonelli’s first 1-2 finish as teammates | Credit: Formula One

Kimi Antonelli: A

The young Italian driver who has started his sophomore season in F1, like his teammate, enjoyed a successful weekend in Australia. Despite a crash in FP3 that had the potential to throw the rest of his weekend in doubt, Antonelli qualified an impressive P2.

Although a less than ideal race start saw him drop down to P7, Antonelli was able to climb back up through the field and benefit from an optimal strategy after stopping under Virtual Safety Car conditions. Making his tyres last beyond the expected limits, a skill the young driver has come to perfect over the course of the last year, he drove across the finish line for a career-equalling P2 result. 

Ferrari

Charles Leclerc: A

Having aced the race start, an advantage that his closest competitors haven’t been able to master yet, Leclerc’s move on Russell to take the lead of the Grand Prix set him up for a good fight for the victory. However, the two missed opportunities to pit under VSC conditions potentially cost Leclerc a chance at the win in the end. 

Having settled for P3 on this occasion, there’s no doubt that the performance shown by Ferrari in Australia will fill Leclerc with hope and optimism moving into the second race of the season. With the Mercedes pace advantage potentially being track dependent, Leclerc might have another opportunity for a race win in China. 

Leclerc on the podium in Australia, bringing his career tally to 51 | Credit: Formula One

Lewis Hamilton: A

While starting P7 and behind the slower Red Bull and McLaren ahead was perhaps not the best representation of Ferrari’s qualifying pace, Hamilton was able to manoeuvre his way to the top four with ease. Throughout the opening stages of the race, Hamilton was able to keep pressure on Russell as he chased his former teammate down for P2.

Like his current teammate, the team’s failure to capitalise on two VSCs and the chance for a reduced pit stop time loss ultimately cost Hamilton a chance at a podium. Despite finishing P4, and the podium still remaining out of reach for Hamilton, it’s the first time since he joined the Prancing Horses in 2025 that the seven time former world champion has looked comfortable in the car. 

He’ll be hoping to capitalise on the momentum from his side of the garage that has slowly been building from the start of pre-season and only time will tell when that will finally turn into the long-awaited podium or race win in red.

McLaren

Lando Norris: B

It was a difficult weekend as a whole for the reigning world champion, having never really looked comfortable in the car since arriving in Melbourne. Managing to qualify in P6 and behind his teammate, Norris remained optimistic yet realistic ahead of Sunday’s Grand Prix. 

Utilising the Mercedes engine, Norris’ race start was decent however it was clear to see that he was racing in no-man’s land for a majority of the race. Getting caught in the midfield pack after his pit stops, the promise of the MCL40’s pace was shown in the closing stages of the race as he was able to hold off Max Verstappen behind who was on fresher tyres. 

A P5 finish in any other circumstances would perhaps be considered less than ideal but with the pace of the Mercedes and Ferrari seeming a touch out of distance for the time being, Norris and McLaren will have to be realistic about the capabilities of the car until they’re able to bring upgrades. 

Norris was the sole McLaren in the race after Piastri’s DNS | Credit: Formula One

Oscar Piastri: DNS

Showcasing himself as the lead McLaren for his home race after qualifying, it looked as though Oscar Piastri was set to take the fight to the front-runners over the course of the weekend. Having finished FP2 as the fastest car, a second-row start didn’t seem entirely out of the realm of possibility.

However, a crash on the way to the grid on race day took away all hopes that the Australian driver would be able to redeem his less than ideal home race in 2025. With his grandstand fans unable to see the hometown hero race on this occasion, Piastri will have to shake off the disappointment of this weekend and start anew ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.

Piastri failed to start the race in front of his hometown crowd | Credit: Formula One

Red Bull 

Max Verstappen: A

From the start of the weekend, it looked as though Red Bull would be on the backfoot in terms of pace compared to Ferrari and Mercedes, but you can never count out Verstappen. An unfortunate crash in the early stages of Q1 caused by a mechanical and software related error meant that the true pace of the Red Bull in the hands of Verstappen is still to be seen.

However, Verstappen more than made up for his uncharacteristic starting position by quickly making his way through the field with ease. The battle with Norris in the closing stages of the race for P5 has perhaps revealed some of the pace limitations of the Red Bull as Verstappen was unable to get past McLaren’s Norris despite being on younger tyres. 

It will take a few more weekends to be sure but for the moment, it looks like these two teams, the only to win the Constructors’ titles during the ground-effect era, will be battling each other for P3 and P4. 

Verstappen had a phenomenal drive through the field to score points from P20 | Credit: Formula One

Isack Hadjar: DNF

It seems that the long wait to have the right driver in the second Red Bull seat has come to an end with Hadjar’s arrival at the team and his ability to immediately be within three-tenths of Verstappen. Having qualified on the second row of the grid in his debut race weekend for the senior team, all the signs were pointing to a successful Sunday however it wasn't meant to be.

For a team that suffered next to no reliability issues over the course of pre-season testing, it must have been a blow to have their first issue present itself during such an opportune moment for the young French driver. Being forced to retire due to an engine issue within the first 10 laps of the race, Red Bull no doubt were reeling not only from the loss of points but also comparative data to the other front runners.

Hadjar will be hoping for a quick bounce back in Shanghai, using the sprint race as well as Sunday’s Grand Prix to prove that this initial setback will not define his place in the team. 

Hadjar almost had a perfect debut race weekend with Red Bull | Credit: Formula One

Haas 

Oliver Bearman: A

After his performance in Melbourne, there can be no doubt that Oliver Bearman intended to pick up right where he left off at the end of his rookie season in 2025. Although he went through his fair share of ups and downs, there was no doubt that he was the faster and more consistent of the two Haas drivers at the end of 2025, a statement he reiterated in Melbourne last time out. 

Although he failed to progress into Q3 and was beaten out by fellow former rookie Gabriel Bortoleto, Bearman crucially outqualified his teammate. At the race start on Sunday, Bearman made the best use of his Ferrari power unit and was able to move up into the point-scoring spaces. 

At the end of the race, there was a tight battle between Bearman and Avid Lindblad for P7 however the more experienced British driver won out on this occasion. With the midfield battle tighter than ever before, it seems as though the battle between Bearmand and Lindblad will be one to keep an eye out for throughout the course of the season. 

Bearman’s points have helped Haas to the top of the midfield after the first race | Credit: Formula One

Esteban Ocon: B

Compared to his teammate, Esteban Ocon’s first race of the season left something to be desired. Having lost out on the head-to-head battles in 2025, it seems that trend will continue moving into 2026 as Ocon was outqualified and outscored by his less experienced teammate.

In the closing stages of the race, Ocon battled with former teammate Pierre Gasly for the final points-scoring position in P10. On this occasion, Ocon was forced to concede the position to Gasly and ended up marginally outside of the points. 

With Haas occupying P5 in the WCC for the first time under the leadership of Ayao Komatsu, there is no doubt that the Haas car has pace and is well in the fight for the title of ‘best of the rest’ in the midfield. It will be up to Ocon to ensure that he can keep up with his teammate in Shanghai next week.

Racing Bulls

Arvid Lindblad: A

As far as debut weekends go, it would be fair to say that Lindblad could not have asked for much more both for and of himself. Having been on the pace since the first practice session on Friday, Lindblad demonstrated both consistency and speed; the two characteristics required of any driver within the Red Bull family.

Although he qualified behind his more experienced teammate, Lindblad was running in the podium positions at one stage of the race and battling with Hamilton for on-track positions as well. Taking the chequered flag in P8, Lindblad became the 70th driver in F1 history to score points on their debut race. 

Lindblad and Lawson, Racing Bulls' 2026 driver line-up | Credit: formula one

Liam Lawson: B

Lawson’s performance fluctuated throughout the weekend, especially in Saturday’s qualifying session. Although slower than his teammate in Q1 and Q2, he proved faster when it counted in Q3 and qualified ahead of Lindblad. 

However, despite the pace demonstrated in Saturday’s qualifying session, he was unable to capitalise on the opportunity presented in his starting position and ultimately finished the race behind his rookie teammate and outside the points. 

Lawson has proven to be a quick driver in the past but it will be important for him to show consistency over the course of the season. With the Chinese Grand Prix coming up next, including the first scheduled sprint event of the season, the driver from New Zealand will have to take care not to be too far behind his teammate again. 

Audi

Gabriel Bortoleto: A

Given the magnitude of the project that Audi have undertaken in becoming a works team in their first season in F1, their first race weekend with Bortoleto at the wheel perhaps couldn’t have gone any smoother. Beating out Nico Hülkenberg in qualifying, it was incredibly unfortunate that the Brazilian driver couldn’t take part in Q3 as he was almost guaranteed to start higher than P10.

With one of his most focused drives in F1 so far, Bortoleto kept his head down and gave his team something to root for as his teammate was unable to start the race. Using an alternative three-stop strategy instead of the favoured two-stop, he was able to outsmart the other midfield runners. When the chequered flag was waved, he came home in P9 and scored Audi’s first points in F1 history.

Bortoleto became the first driver to score points for Audi in f1 | Credit: Formula One

Nico Hülkenberg: DNS

Hülkenberg was another victim of a technical issue however unlike the others, he was unable to take to the grid altogether for the start of the race. Although the rest of the weekend was a good reflection of where Audi are as a team, Hülkenberg seemed to be on the backfoot compared to his teammate.

Having been outqualified in Melbourne, the German driver will be hoping to make the most of both the upcoming round to bounce back and contribute some points of his own to Audi’s tally. 

Alpine

Pierre Gasly: A

As the undisputed number one driver at Alpine, Gasly had a successful weekend and was able to open Alpine’s account of points in Melbourne. While qualifying was not the smoothest for the French driver,  a strong race saw him battling for points in the final stages of the race. 

Beating former teammate Ocon for the final points-scoring position, Gasly continued his streak of contributing to 100% of Alpine’s points over the last year. Entering the top 10 on yet another occasion, Gasly said that the opening race of the season taught the team “so many new tricks for us to understand and implement” ahead of next week’s Chinese Grand Prix. 

Gasly was the lead Alpine for a majority of the race | Credit: Formula One

Franco Colapinto: C+

Unfortunately, the Argentine picked up where he left off in 2025 which wasn’t in the best place. Across the weekend, Colapinto was on the back foot especially when compared to his teammate. 

In qualifying, he failed to progress into Q2 which left him too far back in the field to make any meaningful impact. Sunday’s race got off to a difficult start as he was given a stop-and-go penalty for a race start infringement. Ultimately, Colapinto was both outqualified and outscored in the 2026 Australian Grand Prix when compared to his teammate.  

Starting his first full season at Alpine, Colapinto has a lot to prove about why he deserves to remain in the seat that he took from Jack Doohan early in 2025. While Australia wasn’t his best performance by a decent margin, the potential he has is something he’ll have to demonstrate to secure his future. 

Williams

Carlos Sainz: B-

A difficult start on Friday turned into a difficult weekend altogether for the Spaniard as he was unable to take part in qualifying after already limited running earlier in FP3. Having not set a time, he lined up for Sunday’s race in P21.

Throughout the race, the four-time Grand Prix winner was unable to make an impact and the closest car to him was that of his teammate in the other Williams. Despite this regulatory era having been the focus for the team, it seems that they still have a lot to work on to make their season competitive as they had hoped. 

Credit: Formula One

Alex Albon: B-

After Saturday’s qualifying, Albon fared better than his teammate and lined up for Sunday’s race in P15. However, despite the fact that he was able to make up places and finish ahead of Sainz, it is likely this wasn’t due to pure pace and rather because of the various retirements across the grid.

After only one race weekend, it would ordinarily be too soon to say that a team is already in trouble but Williams are heading into that territory, and fast. Given that they were already behind due to development delays and that they are rumoured to still be overweight which is costing them valuable tenths, a quick turnaround in performance will be on all of their minds.

Cadillac

Sergio Pérez: C

With the American outfit being the second team to debut this weekend, Pérez had the more straightforward experience as he was the only Cadillac driver to take the chequered flag. With everyone at the team collectively agreeing that the focus of these first few races was experience, the six-time Grand Prix winner would have been happy to not have the same issues as his teammate. 

Despite outqualifying Bottas on Saturday, Pérez’s achievement ultimately  accounted for very little considering that he finished slowest of all the classified drivers in Sunday’s race.

Bottas brought out one of three VSC during the 2026 Australian Grand Prix | Credit: Formula One

Valtteri Bottas: DNF

Compared to his teammate, Bottas certainly had a more difficult time in Melbourne. Already the slower driver of the two, Bottas was unable to finish Sunday’s race due to a suspected mechanical issue. 

Reliability has plagued many teams over the race weekend but Cadillac especially so considering their issues during pre-season testing as well. 

These initial teething problems for the team, something to be expected for a new outfit, aren’t a cause for concern just yet as they continue to build off the experience of their drivers and those in management positions as well.

Aston Martin

Fernando Alonso: DNF

From the offset of the weekend, it was clear that Aston Martin were in no position to be competing for anything other than the back row of the grid. 

Considering that they were a doubt to even be able to take part in qualifying or the race, Alonso being able to start the race ahead of the two Cadillac drivers was already a win in Aston Martin’s books. 

Briefly running in P10 at the start of the race perhaps would’ve been inconceivable to many but the happiness wasn’t to last as Alonso ultimately retired from the race. Although the two-time world champion did come back out onto the track, it was for some extra data collection before the car was retired once again. 

Aston Martin encountered their first double DNF of the season | Credit: Formula One

Lance Stroll: DNF

The Canadian driver had a difficult start to the weekend and wasn’t able to complete a programme until the Grand Prix. Having failed to set a competitive time in qualifying, he was still allowed to start the race but from P22. 

It became clear very early on that the race for Lance Stroll became about data collection, especially once he returned to the track after having retired the car. Despite running in the race, Stroll failed to meet the 90% running requirement and therefore was not classified in the final race timesheets; finishing 15 laps down on race winner Russell. 

Looking Ahead

Australia was only the first round of a championship battle for the top 22 drivers in the world. The upcoming Chinese Grand Prix will be another opportunity for teams to not only learn more about the cars but also the optimal ways to race against each other. 

With it also being the first sprint weekend of the season, teams will have to make the best use of the sole hour of practice given to them. Only time will tell if Mercedes will emulate the success and domination of this weekend or if the Prancing Horses will be able to outpace the Silver Arrows.