The 2026 Formula 1 season opened in Melbourne with a dramatic Australian Grand Prix. Mercedes locked out the front row, Ferrari launched brilliantly at the start, and Max Verstappen charged through the field after starting from the back.
I’m joined by Simone Scanu, co-founder of Formula Live Pulse, to break down everything that happened at Albert Park — from strategy calls to rookie performances.
Key Talking Points
- Mercedes lockout and race pace
- Ferrari’s explosive race start
- Oscar Piastri’s heartbreaking crash before the race
- Max Verstappen charging from P20
- Rookie standouts in the opening race
- Strategy decisions and the virtual safety car
- Broadcast frustrations with missing battery data
- Aston Martin’s worrying reliability issues
Australian Grand Prix Podium
- George Russell
- Kimi Antonelli
- Charles Leclerc
A strong opening weekend for Mercedes — and a huge result for rookie Antonelli.
Prediction Tracker Update
The Away We Go F1 Prediction Tracker is underway — and Melbourne delivered a few surprises.
Very few players predicted a Mercedes win, and almost nobody picked Antonelli on the podium.
The leaderboard is wide open after race one. Register free and play along: https://awaywegopodcast.com/play-along/
International Women’s Day
We congratulate the Australian Grand Prix Corporation for renaming turn 6, In Her Corner after two prominent women working in Formula 1, Hannah Schmitz, head strategist at Red Bull Racing, and Laura Mueller, race engineer for Esteban Ocon at HAAS F1.
This episode also celebrates women working in Formula 1 media and content creation, including:
- The Paddock Journal - www.thepaddockjournal.com
- Paddock Passions - https://www.instagram.com/paddockpassion
- Tiggy – It’s Paddock Project - https://www.instagram.com/itspaddockproject
- Toni Cowan Brown - https://www.instagram.com/tonicowanbrown
Next Race: China
Next stop is Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix.
We discuss:
- Whether Ferrari can unlock more pace
- If Mercedes can keep their advantage
- Why China could suit different teams
- Our predictions for the next race weekend
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