It’s lights out and away we go as the Australian Grand Prix marked this year’s Formula 1 season. The fans bore witness to a mania of overtakes between Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz.
The Leaders
First to cross the chequered flag was the Mercedes-Benz boys as George Russell finished 1st and Kimi Antonelli 2nd. A good day at the office for Toto Wolf (Team Principal).
Finishing in third place is Charles Leclerc from Ferrari. Not a significant result for the team, but a decent gain of points as Lewis Hamilton finished P4 right behind Leclerc.
McLaren at Distress
The reigning champion, Lando Norris, finished P5 for McLaren Racing. McLaren had a tough weekend as Oscar Piastri lost control on the formation lap and did not start the race.
Piastri’s car crashed at turn 4, when the rear snapped after he hit the exit kerb.
The team had decent race pace but were not quite able to challenge Mercedes or Ferrari.
Verstappen’s Recovery Drive
The flying Dutchman had a difficult weekend for Red Bull Racing. Max’s brief crash during the qualifiers made him start from P20 on the grid.
But the champion in him fought through the field to finish P6. It was one of the strongest recovery drives of the race.
Notable Midfield Performances
Oliver Bearman finished P7 for Haas F1, and Gabriel Bortoleto finished P9 for Audi (Rebadged Kick Sauber F1 Team).
Finishing P8 between them is Arvid Lindblad for VCARB F1. The driver of Indian descent showed calibre, scoring points for the team on his debut.
How the 2026 regulations played a role
Under the 2026 Formula 1 regulations, the hybrid system underwent significant changes.
- Electrical power increased from 120 kW to 350 kW.
- The MGU-K now delivers much more torque instantly.
- There is no MGU-H anymore, so energy deployment behaviour is different.
Because of this, drivers experience sudden bursts of torque when the electrical system deploys energy.
For Piastri, this meant that when he exited the corner and applied the throttle, the car delivered more electrical power than he expected, which caused the rear tyre to lose grip.
Also read: https://fly-wheel.com/honda-power-unit-face-challenges-ahead-of-the-season/
