F1 2026: Australian Grand Prix Preview and Predictions

The Formula One 2026 season is officially here as we are at raceweek 1 with the grid in Australia for the season opener at the Australian Grand Prix 2026. A new season will also be a new era for Formula One with new regulation changes, new teams, new drivers and so much more!

Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix 2026, here is our preview and predictions for the race.

New contenders

The new season heralds the start of a new era with regards to new regulations as teams have been keeping up to date with the new technical changes with the teams doing their best to adapt to the new rules and regulations. While we haven’t seen the teams in action in a racing manner, the teams did hit the track for the pre-season tests in Barcelona and Bahrain.

While McLaren dominated last year, the new regulation era seems to have changed things up a bit. At the pre-season tests, McLaren and Red Bull did put up impressive times but it was Ferrari and Mercedes who seemed like the clear favourites to start the season. Mercedes were the ones who set the pace in Bahrain, and it is a position they have been in before. Between 2014 and 2020, Mercedes were quite literally untouchable and after struggling for a couple of years, it looks like the Silver Arrows might be moving to the top of the grid and maybe even leave the rest behind.

Along with Mercedes, another team who seem like they are clear of the rest are Ferrari. Ferrari impressed in the pre-season tests as well with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari setting the quickest time in Bahrain during the third test. Ferrari have impressed most with their long runs and were right up there with Mercedes. It looks like Ferrari have figured out the right way to build their new power unit and we could be in for a two-way battle at the front of the grid. 

Mercedes and Ferrari start as the overwhelming favourites in Australia and expect the old rivals to be fighting it out in Melbourne once again. 

Pole prediction: George Russell / Lewis Hamilton

Race winners prediction: Mercedes / Ferrari

Down under from the start

While Mercedes and Ferrari had a stellar pre-season test and ticked off more of the box, it was Mercedes’ old customer team, Aston Martin who have struggled the most so far. Aston Martin has moved from Mercedes to Honda engines for the new era but it has been a poor start. Aston Martin put up the least number of laps in pre-season testing, with their Honda battery having an issue and the less number of laps also means there is less data for the Silverstone team to sort out the issues as well.

Reliability issues seems to have struck the team majorly and it will also affect their reading of their engine and chassis data. Aston Martin were looking to start the new era strong, especially with the signing of legendary Formula One designer Adrian Newey but it seems like it will be a slow start for Aston Martin and don’t be surprised with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are found right at the back of the grid on Sunday afternoon.

Strugglers of the weekend: Aston Martin

Fresh faces

A new season isn’t only bringing in new regulations but we will also see new faces and new teams on the grid. The newest face on the grid will be Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad, who will be making his F1 debut. The Red Bull Academy youngster racked up the most hours on the last day of the Bahrain test and it was a good sign for the team running the new Red Bull Ford Powertrains engine. Lindblad showcased a calm head and should be in and around the points once he gets some time out on the track.

The newest team on the grid, Cadillac, will also be making their Formula One debut this season. While the American team will be on the grid for the first time, they will have two very familiar faces taking them forward. Cadillac has one of the most experienced driver pairings in Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas with both veterans making a return to the Formula One grid after sitting out for a season. 

Both the Finn and Mexican driver had lost their seat for the Formula One 2025 season but have found their way back to the grid and it looks like they will be right back amongst the thick of it. Cadillac had a solid outing in the pre-season tests as they showed strong reliability and even though we don’t expect them to finish in the points regularly at the start of the season, expect Cadillac to be on the fringes of the points with two very experienced and calm heads at the wheel.

As two of the newer faces on the grid, Lindblad and Cadillac, expect them to have a solid outing in Australia, albeit not amongst the points but be competitive enough in their first-ever on-track runs. 

F1 Australian Prix 2026: Race details

Circuit: Albert Park Circuit
Venue: Albert Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Practice Session 1 time: 07:00 IST, March 6, 2026
Practice Session 2 time: 10:30 IST, March 6, 2026
Practice Session 3 time: 07:00 IST, March 7, 2026
Qualifying time: 10:30 IST, March 7, 2026
Main race time: 09:30 IST, March 8, 2026
Where to watch: F1 TV Pro / FanCode