F1 2026: Australian Grand Prix Preview and Predictions

The 2026 Formula One season is officially here, with the paddock ready for the season-opener in Melbourne, Victoria, with the Australian Grand Prix.

This new season also marks a new era for Formula One, with new regulation changes, new teams, new drivers, and so much more.

For the 2026 F1 Australian Grand Prix, here we present our preview and predictions.

New contenders

The new season heralds the start of a new era with regards to regulations, as teams have been trying to keep up to date with the new technical changes and doing their best to adapt. While we haven’t seen the teams in action, they 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, which is a position they have been in before. Between 2014 and 2020, Mercedes were virtually untouchable. After struggling for a couple of years, it looks like the Silver Arrows might be moving to the top of the grid, maybe even leaving the rest behind.

Along with Mercedes, another team who seem like they are clear of the rest are Ferrari. The Scuderia impressed in the pre-season tests, with Charles Leclerc setting the quickest time in Bahrain during the third test. The Italian outfit have impressed most with their long runs and were right up there with Mercedes, and it looks like they have figured out the right way to build their new power unit.

We could be in for a two-way battle at the front of the grid this year. Mercedes and Ferrari start as the overwhelming favourites in Australia. 

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 outing, Mercedes’ old customer team Aston Martin looked like the biggest strugglers.

Aston Martin have moved from Mercedes to Honda engines for the new era, but they’ve had a poor start. They put up the least number of laps in pre-season testing, with their Honda battery having an issue. The fewer number of laps also means there is less data for the Silverstone team, which will make sorting out the issues that much harder. Reliability issues seem 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 them, and don’t be surprised if 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

This season isn’t only bringing in new regulations but also new faces and new teams. The newest driver on the grid will be Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad, who’s set to make his F1 debut. The Red Bull Academy youngster racked up the most hours on the last day of the Bahrain test, which was a good sign for a team who are 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 have two very familiar faces taking them forward. The American outfit have 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. 

Cadillac had a solid outing in the pre-season tests and showed strong reliability. Even though we don’t expect them to finish in the points regularly at the start of the season, expect them to be on the fringes of the points with two very experienced and calm heads at the wheel.

In the case of both the new entries, Arvid Lindblad and Cadillac, expect them to have a solid outing in Australia. While we don’t expect them to be in the points, they shall 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