Australian Grand Prix: 3 Winners & Losers
8th March 2026Formula One kicked off the 2026 season in dramatic style in Australia, with Mercedes proving to be the early dominant force of the new regulations.
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Here are my three winners and losers from the 2026 Melbourne Grand Prix.
Winners
Mercedes
A 1-2 in qualifying and Sunday’s race, Mercedes start as they mean to go on at the debut of Formula One’s new regulations. Achieving this feat for the first time since 2019, when they went on to clinch both titles, the Bracknell-based team will be backing themselves to replicate this result in 2026.
Race winner George Russell was dominant across the entire weekend, defending from the charging Charles Leclerc at the beginning of the Grand Prix whilst teammate Kimi Antonelli maintained a strong pace behind.
Arvid Lindblad
It was points on debut for 18-year-old Lindblad, following an electric race start which saw him as high as third on lap one.
Following an impressive P9 in qualifying, Lindblad showed race craft beyond his years as he went toe to toe with former champions Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen across the grand prix. Taking home four points, Lindblad will be hoping to continue his momentum ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix next weekend.
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari’s rumoured race-start advantage proved strong in Australia, as Leclerc stormed into a lap one lead by the first corner.
An entertaining back and forth followed with eventual race winner Russell, as the pair swapped places six times in the first nine laps of the race. Whilst Ferrari’s decision to not pit under either virtual safety car cost Leclerc any chance at challenging Mercedes for the race win, it was a promising podium for the Monegasque.
Losers
Oscar Piastri
It was heartbreak for the hometown hero as Piastri’s race was over before it started. Crashing on his way to the grid some 40 minutes before lights out, the Australian was sent spinning into the wall as he went over the exit curbs at turn four.
Initial assessment of the car’s data showed no immediate cause for the accident, according to McLaren CEO Zak Brown, leaving the record crowd in Melbourne searching for answers.
Isack Hadjar
Lining up third on the grid after a brilliant qualifying performance, Hadjar’s race came trundling to an end on lap 11 with an engine failure.
Running in P5 before the premature end to his race, Hadjar felt he could have challenged for a podium if not for his reliability issues. Whilst his Red Bull debut was cut short, the Frenchman’s performance showed promising signs ahead of the next 23 Grand Prix.
Aston Martin
After one of the worst pre-seasons in recent Formula One history, expectations were at an all-time low for Aston Martin coming into round one.
With concerns around reliability, speed, and driver safety, finishing the race was the maximum the team could have hoped for heading into this weekend. A DNF for Fernando Alonso and 15 lap-down finish for Lance Stroll concluded a nightmare opening weekend for the team.
Read more Formula 1 here:
- George Russell heads Mercedes 1-2 at Australian Grand Prix
- Oscar Piastri crashes on way to 2026 Australian Grand Prix grid
- George Russell heads Mercedes front row at Australian Grand Prix
- George Russell clears gap to Hamilton in FP3 at Australian GP
- Oscar Piastri tops second practice at Australian Grand Prix
- Charles Leclerc pips Hamilton to fastest FP1 lap at Australian GP
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