The first grand prix of the formula one season got under way last weekend in Australia. With new regulations many teams feared the unknown of what was to come.
New Regulations
The start of the 2026 season means that the new regulations are now underway. Whether they are for better or worse we will soon find out. Formula one cars are now smaller, but the biggest change is the active aerodynamics. Drivers can now change between cornering mode and straight-line mode. Drag reduction system has been replaced with manual override mode which allows them to harvest more electrical power when within one second of the driver in front.
Pre-Race Shock
Fans at the Australian grand prix were sent into a fury of confusion as hometown hero Oscar Piastri failed to make it to the starting grid. The loved by many Australian driver seemed to have some sort of issue on his way to the starting grid. He unfortunately crashed into the wall before getting the chance to redeem himself after last year.
The First Few Laps
The race got off to an interesting start with Leclerc seizing the lead as both Mercedes cars have issues with getting off the line. Russel manages to stay in P2 with Hamilton close behind. We get to see some exciting racing during the early stages of the grand prix. Leclerc and Russel, both battle it out and there is a lot of back and forth between them. However, after a lot of race leader swaps, Leclerc leads from Russel followed by Hamilton.
Decision Time
Due to Hadjar’s Red bull car appearing to have smoke coming from the back, he must stop, which triggers a virtual safety car. A virtual safety car on lap 12 changes everything. Many of the mid field teams made the decision to do an early pit stop and save time under the safety car.
Norris also chose to pit as well as both Mercedes. The safety car completely changed their race strategy, and it ultimately paid off for them. Ferrari decided not to pit which may have cost them the race as they won’t benefit from pitting under normal conditions.
This allowed Ferrari to build a gap out in front, but they were unable to beat Mercedes on pure pace. Therefore, after pitting they fail to overtake Russel and Antonelli, meaning they finished P3 and P4.
Mad Max is Back
It’s only fair that Max Verstappen gets an honourable mention after going from 20th on the grid to bringing it home in a respectable P6. He managed to recover from his rough qualifying session and bagged eight points for the driver’s championship. The fans applauded his drive by awarding him driver of the day.
Featured image credits: AllAussieTraveller
