Mercedes cementing their domination, Verstappen's charge from the back and more: What to expect in the Australian Grand Prix
- Meghana Sree
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
From Mercedes unleashing the W17's staggering performance to Max Verstappen's recovery drive after an uncharacteristic Q1 crash and fresh faces chasing points on debut, here are five things to look out for at F1's 2026 season opener in Australia.
A new era of Formula One has officially begun, and with the first competitive session in the books, we now have a more definitive picture of not just the pecking order, but the most likely championship winners this year.
George Russell stormed to pole for the season opener, placing Mercedes an astounding eight tenths ahead of their nearest rivals — making it all but official even before the first race gets underway that this is Russell’s championship to lose.
An intriguing qualifying session saw Mercedes charge to an unchallenged front-row lockout, while the most dramatic moment of the afternoon came with Max Verstappen crashing out in Q1 after a rear axle lock-up reportedly caused by a software issue on the Red Bull.
With a season opener that is sure to set the tone for the rest of the season, here are five important things to look out for in the first Grand Prix of the new regulatory era.
Can anyone hope to challenge Mercedes?
Despite Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff’s protestations that his team didn’t sandbag ahead of qualifying, the W17’s sheer speed and the chasm between the Silver Arrows and third place beg to differ.
Russell was untouchable during the session, while teammate Kimi Antonelli experienced a more rocky Saturday but still managed to stick his car in second, after the Mercedes crew worked tirelessly to repair his car following a heavy FP3 crash.
The general mood in the paddock seems to be disappointed resignation that Mercedes are leagues ahead, with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar in third a colossal eighth tenths behind the Brackley outfit.
While Russell oozes confidence, it will be interesting to see how Antonelli goes up against his more experienced teammate, or indeed whether any other teams can join the mix at the top.
Alongside Hadjar, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc starts fourth, and from what we saw in pre-season testing, the Scuderia has a serious advantage during race starts. Ferrari’s approach with a smaller turbo gives them the edge in having swifter getaways from the line, so expect Leclerc to shoot up the order on Lap 1.
Whether he can keep up with Mercedes, however, will only be revealed tomorrow.
Verstappen clawing his way up the field
After a shocking Q1 crash, Verstappen will be starting the season opener at the tail end of the grid, but based on Red Bull’s practice runs and Hadjar’s P3-worthy performance, the Dutchman can be expected to make significant strides up the field.
Although Verstappen has been heavily critical of the 2026 regulations, that won’t stop the four-time champion from pushing his car to the limits to salvage points.
Verstappen will have to navigate past the slower cars of Cadillac, Aston Martin and Williams around him, and crucially, will have to steer clear of getting collected in any potential Lap 1 incidents to progress up the ranks and into the points.
Opportunities for glory on debut
The 2026 season sees a handful of new additions to the grid, including rookie Arvid Lindblad and the new outfit Audi, who both start in the top 10 and have the opportunity to score points on debut.
Lindblad has had an impressive Australian weekend so far, taking ninth on his F1 qualifying debut, after managing fifth in his first ever official FP1 session as a Racing Bulls driver.
The Briton completed a double Q3 entry for Racing Bulls, and will no doubt be looking forward to translating his qualifying success into his maiden F1 points that he could collect on debut.
Meanwhile, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto is set to start 10th, and though the Brazilian driver couldn’t partake in Q3 despite making the cut due to a technical issue on his in-lap, he will be eager to secure his team’s first points under the Audi name. Nico Hülkenberg starting 11th is also close to the points, who will be hoping to make progress and give Audi a potential double points finish on their F1 debut.
Aston Martin continued troubles
Aston Martin has not enjoyed the start to the 2026 season they expected, plagued with reliability issues, a sub-par Honda power unit and a host of technical gremlins that severely limit the AMR26’s operating window.
With every story that comes out of the Aston Martin garage, the situation seems to be getting increasingly desperate. In an appalling admission, the team conceded that the power unit is producing extreme vibrations that directly affect drivers while manoeuvring the car, Lance Stroll describing the feeling as similar to “electrocuting yourself in a chair”.
Given this debilitating situation, the expectation from Aston Martin is that Fernando Alonso and Stroll will be able to complete only a limited number of laps during the Australian Grand Prix, and will largely treat the race as a learning experience to gather much needed data.
Alonso lines up ahead of both Cadillacs in 17th, while Stroll sat out qualifying entirely but has been permitted to take part in the race. Both drivers will not be expecting any miracles on Sunday, but will be intent on making steady progress lap by lap.
2026 regulations in Grand Prix action
For the first time, we will get to witness the new technical regulations at play during a race. While the sport’s biggest overhaul in regulations has been met with much censure and scepticism, particularly for forcing drivers to harvest energy instead of going flat-out down the straights, it will nevertheless be fascinating to see this new philosophy of racing finally in action.
On paper, the new regulations are projected to promote closer wheel-to-wheel battles and more overtakes across the Grand Prix. Whether this comes to fruition or not at Albert Park will be one of the biggest stories following the 58 laps, as we’re set to get our first taste of F1’s new era of racing.
With the out lap being highlighted by drivers as the most critical aspect of pushing performance, the designated Straight Mode zones in play and the introduction of Overtake Mode, among other tools for drivers, the Australian Grand Prix will be the first formal test of the 2026 regulations when the lights go out at 04:00 GMT.
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