Five quick takeaways from the first F1 qualifying session of 2026

March 7, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

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The Formula 1 2026 ruleset has been surrounded by question marks, controversy and political sabre-rattling – it is F1 after all. The season's first competitive session in Albert Park hasn't given us all the answers just yet, but it has slowly been lifting the veil on what is set to be an intriguing campaign ahead.

The rules are far from perfect, but not a complete disaster

Amid fears from various senior team personnel that qualifying would be a "sh*tshow", F1 2026 got off to a reasonable start. There is definitely something dispiriting about seeing cars run out of steam on the back straight and pootle down to the previously fearsome Turn 9-10 switchback, and the drivers clearly aren't enjoying the heavy-handed harvesting as much.

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But in the knowledge that Melbourne is both the first race of this new era and one of the worst tracks on the calendar for energy management, it also hasn't been a complete meltdown. With some more tweaks from the FIA and development from the teams, the new ruleset could turn out okay. Compromised? Yes. Imperfect? Absolutely. But it's not a disastrous starting point, so some nuance is advised.

It will be key for the FIA to avoid kneejerk reactions, and its rapid decision to remove a straight mode zone on Saturday morning, only for the governing body to revert that call hours later, is something it should try to avoid. The proof will naturally be in the pudding on Sunday, though the racing in Melbourne has never been particularly great to begin with regardless of the ruleset.

The field is more closely matched that feared

Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

A big positive is that the 2026 field seems to be more competitive than thought. The new rules have obviously blown the field open off the back of a 2025 season that saw the entire field qualify within half a second at certain times.

But while Mercedes looks impressive out in front, all four teams are in the ballpark, and the majority of the 22-car field appears to be covered by a second and a half. Shellshocked Aston Martin and newcomer Cadillac are the two obvious outliers, which we'll come to later.

However, given the big circuit specific differences around car set-ups and energy deployment, coupled with the vast rate of development, we could very easily see the pecking order change on a weekly basis.

Mercedes is living up to expectations, a new dawn for Ferrari

George Russell, Mercedes

Mercedes' many attempts to play down its pre-season favourite status were a little irksome, perhaps, but also somewhat understandable. The team has had its hopes up a few times in recent seasons, only for the latest false dawn to send it crashing back down to earth. But calling out Red Bull as the champion of energy deployment in Bahrain testing was not very credible, and it soon became apparent from George Russell's impressive long runs that Mercedes is F1 2026's dominant force at this very early stage.

Russell backed that up over one lap on Saturday as the Silver Arrows finally showed their hand and all signs point towards Russell being offered a similar opportunity as fellow Briton Lando Norris last year. But this is just the start, and Ferrari has shown signs it can compete.

Having been facing enormous pressure in 2025 as it slumped to fourth, Ferrari's decision to fully focus on 2026 appears to be paying off, and crucially star signing Lewis Hamilton seems to be getting a much nicer sounding tune out of this generation of cars than the ground-effect machinery.

A mixed bag for Red Bull and McLaren

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

The Bahrain pecking order which both McLaren team boss Andrea Stella and Red Bull head Laurent Mekies had predicted has largely been accurate. Mercedes followed by Ferrari, with McLaren and Red Bull lagging a little bit behind. It makes Isack Hadjar's third-place on the grid for Red Bull even more impressive, as it bucked the trend.

Neither team has had a particularly trouble-free weekend, which in McLaren's case will lead to a bit of head scratching as the Mercedes customer aims to defend both championships. Red Bull must be commended for the phenomenal job its nascent power unit division has done, with sister team Racing Bulls also looking strong.

But we've mentioned the massive rate of development before, and McLaren has already proven in the past how strong it can be. That's how it turned an also-ran into a dominant car over the last rules cycle. The same applies to Red Bull and its engineering breakthroughs towards the end of last season. Rule either team out at your peril.

The pain keeps coming for Aston Martin, Cadillac shows it belongs

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Aston Martin's Honda disaster is being unpeeled in real time like an onion. Every time Aston Martin chief Adrian Newey speaks, we learn even more disconcerting and frankly embarrassing details about the partnership's lack of preparedness and disconnect between the two sides.

Newey isn't a traditional team principal with the usual PR-savviness, so his blunt admissions have both been refreshing for all of us and painful for Aston's engine partner.

The Silverstone team's leadership has some questions to answer on how it got to this point, but its race team has to be applauded for the relentless and thankless effort the men and women in green are making to field two cars in Melbourne while barely being able to run.

Fernando Alonso offered a faint glimmer of hope by completing 20 laps in third free practice and then almost making it through to Q2 as others faltered. It's the smallest of wins, but it is something to build on. Meanwhile the onus is on Honda to get its vibration issues under control in time, especially with a high-profile home race in Japan coming up soon.

Meanwhile, F1's 11th entrant Cadillac has made it into the show. On time and with two cars that ran respectably. This has been anything but plain sailing as Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez were plagued by gremlins throughout the weekend, and there was some frustration from Perez that some of its issues from the Barcelona shakedown are still lingering.

But Cadillac has made a competent first impression on track and has already proven to be an asset to the sport in other ways too, through its relentless marketing activations and high-profile tie-ups. There will be a lot more growing pains ahead for the GM brand, but it has both of its cars on the starting grid and that's all you can ask for.

Photos from Australian GP - Saturday

George Russell, Mercedes

Joe Portlock / Getty Images

Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

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Fans

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Guenther Steiner

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Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

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Alexandra Leclerc, wife of Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari, walks in the paddock with model and girlfriend of Carlos Sainz of Spain and Williams, Rebecca Donldsonduring

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Alexander Albon, Williams, Carlos Sainz, Williams

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Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

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Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

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Jackie Stewart

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Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team

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Mario Andretti

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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

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Oscar Piastri, McLaren

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Flavio Briatore, Alpine, Ayao Komatsu, Haas F1 Team

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Lance Stroll, Aston Martin Racing

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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

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Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team

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Fans of George Russell, Mercedes

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Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

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Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

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Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team

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Lando Norris, McLaren

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Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team

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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

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Carmen Larbalestier

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Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

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Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team

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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

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Oscar Piastri, McLaren

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Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team

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George Russell, Mercedes

Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images

Lando Norris, McLaren

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Oscar Piastri, McLaren

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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing

Lars Baron / Getty Images

Pierre Gasly, Alpine

Joe Portlock / Getty Images

Nico Hulkenberg, Audi F1 Team

Mark Thompson / Getty Images

Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac Racing

Mark Thompson / Getty Images

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes crash

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Pierre Gasly, Alpine

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

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Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi F1 Team

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Carlos Sainz, Williams

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Lando Norris, McLaren

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Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

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Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls, Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing

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Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing

Mark Thompson / Getty Images

Oscar Piastri, McLaren

Mark Thompson / Getty Images

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

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Oscar Piastri, McLaren

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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing crash

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Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing crash

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