The 2026 Formula 1 season officially began at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, with the first free practice sessions of the Australian GP. The two sessions held on Friday helped reveal the first signs of the balance of power in the championship, although there is still much uncertainty about who really has the most competitive car at this start of the season.
Read more Porsche Cup hosts the FIA Girls on Track Estágio Motorsport at the season opening round
The highlight of the day was Oscar Piastri. Racing at home, the McLaren driver set the fastest time in FP2 and put the British team at the top of the table. Even so, the performance of the main teams suggests that the battle should be very close between McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull.
Piastri had a complicated start to the weekend in FP1, when he lost part of the session after reporting a loss of power in the car, which forced the team to keep him in the pits for some time. In FP2, however, the Australian had a cleaner session and managed to set the fastest lap of the day.
The McLaren driver avoided making bold predictions for qualifying but believes the team can fight for the top positions on the starting grid.
“I hope to be on the front rows,” Piastri stated. “Whether it will be pole position or not, I don’t know yet. We haven’t fully seen how our race pace or longer stints are.”
He added that the team’s immediate goal is to improve the car’s consistency. “The main thing now is to build consistency and make everything work as it should. In FP2 we managed to get closer to that.”
Despite Piastri’s fastest time, the battle promises to be intense. Data indicates that McLaren appears well-positioned in both qualifying simulations and race pace, but the gaps to rivals are small.
Mercedes also showed competitive potential throughout the day, although they faced difficulties at the start of the activities. According to Andrew Shovlin, responsible for the team’s track performance, FP1 was quite complicated.
The official described the session as “quite messy,” following setup issues related to the power unit. The difficulties mainly affected the car’s balance, which impacted cornering behavior and also how energy was used throughout the lap.
Even so, the team managed to react in FP2 after setup changes. With a more balanced car, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli were able to complete more consistent stints.
Antonelli believes the battle at the top of the grid will be very close. “It looks like we’ll have a very close fight between the front teams. Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull look strong. We need to stay focused on ourselves and try to evolve even further,” he stated.
Read more Consistent in the Porsche Cup elite, Regadas leaves Interlagos with a double top 10
Ferrari also had positive moments during practice. Charles Leclerc led FP1, with Lewis Hamilton right behind, showing that the Italian team can also be a candidate to fight for the top positions.
In FP2, the two drivers finished a bit further back, with Leclerc in fifth and Hamilton in fourth. Still, the mood in the team remained positive after the first activities of the weekend.
Hamilton described the day as “very good,” stating that the team executed the work program well. Leclerc also showed confidence, although he admitted that a setup tested in FP2 did not bring the expected result.
“I tried a different configuration that didn’t work as well,” said the Monegasque. “But I believe qualifying will be quite balanced.”
Red Bull completes the group of teams that appear strong at this start of the season. Max Verstappen and his teammate Isack Hadjar showed good pace in FP1 but faced difficulties in FP2.
Hadjar reported consistency issues with power delivery and also with the car’s balance. Meanwhile, Verstappen lost important track time after stopping in the pit lane due to an electronic problem.
According to the team’s chief engineer, Paul Monaghan, the car got stuck in gear and the team had to work to release the system. After the problem was resolved, the driver was able to return to the track.
Despite the setback, Red Bull sees positive points in the car’s initial performance, especially considering that this is the team’s first season using its own power unit.
With four teams appearing to be very close in performance, the Australian GP promises a highly contested qualifying. The gaps between the main teams are small, and any performance gain overnight could completely change the order on the starting grid.
Read more Pole Motorsport announces Dudes Castroneves for the 2026 NASCAR Brasil season
