Mercedes at the beginning
Read about the first F1 race of the 2026 season, its results and more...
FORMULA 1
3/8/20262 min read
Formula 1 season has started!
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Today, March 8th, another season of the most popular racing series kicked off. It's a new year, new rules, new teams, cars, and drivers. Overall, not much has remained the same since last year. Thanks to these new solutions, the teams captured the attention of a huge fan base, even during testing in Bahrain.
The time has come for these solutions to be implemented into the competition!
The beginning of the weekend...
During pre-season testing, Mercedes and Ferrari surprised their rivals with their car's performance. Mercedes was capable of excellent laps at an excellent pace, as demonstrated on the final day of testing. Young Kimi Antonelli set the fastest lap of the pre-season test, while his older teammate George achieved the second fastest time, just a little slower.
Ferrari surprised with its brilliant inventions with its rear wing systems and an exceptionally well-prepared car for starting from a standing position.
In Saturday's qualifying, both teams showed their form and ensured they were championship contenders this season. Mercedes pushed its performance to its limits, taking the top two spots at the start. Hadjar from the Red Bull team was third.
Race Day
After Max Verstappen's problems in qualifying, he was left out of the front of the grid at the start. The four-time world champion crashed in Q1 and started in 20th position. His task for this race was to weave between his rivals and gain as many positions as possible to score points.
Ferrari demonstrated its excellent preparation for the start, and on the first lap of the race, Leclerc, starting from fourth position, took the lead. Lewis Hamilton, chasing the leaders, followed closely behind in third place.
With each lap, Ferrari weakened, which George Russell capitalized on and took the race lead. Antonelli also maintained excellent pace and didn't let the leaders slip away, remaining in the fight for the top spot.
New Red Bull driver Isaac Hadjar was forced to retire from the race due to an engine failure. Unfortunately, he lost his chance to fight for a podium finish in Melbourne.
Despite several yellow flags that allowed the Ferraris to get close to the Mercedes drivers and even overtake them when they opted for a double pit stop, the German team drivers capitalized on their superior pace and won the race, taking the top two positions with a significant advantage over the two Ferrari drivers.
New World Championship Leader!!!
Despite his long history in F1 and his talent, George Russell led the Drivers' World Championship for the first time in history. The previous generation of cars wasn't exactly auspicious for Mercedes. The team often struggled to prepare the car for championship contention, and they were still third or fourth on the grid.
A car ready to fight for victory could be a huge opportunity for the British driver, who has shown for several years that he's a contender for the championship, and now he might get the chance!
