Guess who’s back, back again? F1’s back, tell a friend (F1 Twitter)
First off, I’d like to apologize for not writing about the preseason testing in Bahrain last month. For reasons both professional and personal, February was… a weird month for me, which kept me from working on anything for my Substack or Beehiiv pages.
I guess it’s fitting, then, that the Australian Grand Prix was a weird start to what might be a very weird season.
Four-time World Champion Max Verstappen spun out without setting a time in the first round of qualifying. His new teammate, Isack Hadjar, stuck the Red Bull second seat in P3— the best qualifying result for that car in god knows how long. One of the Aston Martin cars couldn’t even participate due to structural issues that may literally give its drivers nerve damage.
Oh, and pigs can fly now that Hell has frozen over. What an eventful session that was.
You know, compared to Isack’s disastrous debut last year… this is a HUGE improvement (Red Bull Racing Twitter)
Of course, the chaos continued before the lights went out on Sunday. The Australian drivers’ curse continued for hometown hero Oscar Piastri, who couldn’t even start the race after crashing during a reconnaissance lap. He was joined on the sidelines by Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg, whose car was kneecapped due to a mechanical problem.
It’s a bit ironic, really. In the first 22-car grid since 2016… only 20 actually made it to the start. Make of that what you will.
Maybe all 22 cars will be able to start next week. Who knows? (F1 Twitter)
The musical chairs didn’t stop there. Hadjar was putting up a good fight near the front, but he had to retire 11 laps in from an engine problem. Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas was out five laps later, and neither of the Aston Martin cars were even able to finish the race. By the time the checkered flag fell, only 16 cars had actually completed the race. That’s 72.7% of the grid; a solid C minus in the American grading system.
For what it’s worth, Melbourne isn’t the friendliest circuit to begin with. The Albert Park track isn’t even really a “track”— it’s a temporary street circuit stitched together using public roads along Albert Park Lake. With unpredictable grip and irregular surfaces, a tiny mistake that might be forgiven on a permanent circuit can send you flying into the barriers.
Much like what happened to Oscar! (F1 Twitter)
Ironically, despite the chaos in the back, the race frontrunners were remarkably consistent. Mercedes’ duo George Russell and Kimi Antonelli traded the lead with Ferrari early on, but they took advantage of the Italian team’s pit stop strategy to secure the first two steps of the podium.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc ultimately settled for third, unable to close the gap despite fresher tires. But standing just off the podium beside him was his teammate, Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion finished fourth in his best result since the United States Grand Prix back in October.
And with those results in mind, maybe there’s hope for the Tifosi after all. Ferrari had some impressive times during preseason testing in Barcelona and Bahrain, with Leclerc topping the overall timesheets heading into Melbourne.
Can Ferrari deliver on the hype? let’s find out! (Ferrari Twitter)
Of course, I can’t leave without finishing Verstappen’s story. Starting at the back of the grid, the Dutchman did what he does best— lock in. He zipped past three of the drivers ahead of him in the first lap alone, beginning the long climb back into the points after his qualifying misadventure. He made his way to P10 before lap 10 and was even in the top five for a small period.
Tragically, the Red Bull didn’t have the pace to keep him there— or even give him a shot at the podium, but Verstappen still managed to finish sixth place. He even walked away with the fastest lap and a well-deserved Driver of the Day by the end of it all. Not bad for someone who clawed his way back up to title contention from a 104-point gap last year.
And… well, that was Melbourne in a nutshell. Chaos at the back, strategy chess at the front, and a championship fight that might be a lot more interesting than people expected. Mercedes walks away with a commanding one-two, Ferrari shows just enough pace to keep the tifosi optimistic, and Max Verstappen turns a Q1 disaster into a points-scoring finish.
If this is how the 2026 season plans to introduce itself, then we might be in for a very strange, very entertaining year of Formula One.
Miscellaneous Notes
It’s back! Here are my other thoughts about the race that didn’t make it to the main piece:
A good showing for Arvid Lindblad. The sole rookie on the grid this year finished P8 after starting in ninth. That’s even better than Verstappen’s debut race 11 years ago on the same circuit, when he had to retire due to an engine failure. Let’s hope this promising start for the Racing Bulls youngster pays off.
Welcome back, Chotter. Checo Perez finished P16 in Cadillac’s first-ever F1 race. Not exactly a triumphant return for the Mexican, but for a brand-new team just trying to survive, bringing the car to the finish line is a good first step.
Good news for Audi. Despite Hulkenberg not starting, his teammate Gabriel Bortoleto finished ninth in Audi’s first race as a full works team— a solid foundation for a brand-new operation.
The regulation debates continue. Drivers are still not thrilled about the new power-unit energy management rules. With so much emphasis on harvesting and deploying battery power, modern F1 drivers sometimes look less like racers and more like accountants trying to balance an energy budget every lap. Whether these rules will stay the same remains to be seen.
From wedding vows to podium wows. A belated congratulations, by the way, to Leclerc and his new wife, Alexandra. The two tied the knot last week in a civil ceremony, with a bigger celebration scheduled for next year. Hopefully, they’ll have a chance to celebrate it once the early-season chaos settles down properly.
I’m not usually a sucker for weddings, but I’ll admit the civil ceremony looked gorgeous (Charles Leclerc’s Twitter)
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading the season2 premiere of my silly race recaps. I’ll see you next week for the Chinese Grand Prix.
-Flower