The 2026 Formula 1 season roared to life this weekend at Melbourne’s Albert Park, with the Australian Grand Prix serving as the first taste of a new era for the world’s premier motorsport. Fans poured into the circuit on Friday, buzzing with anticipation and a fair share of questions—some about the championship pecking order, others about the very future of the season, given the tense geopolitical climate threatening upcoming races in the Middle East. But on the tarmac, it was all about speed, adaptation, and a flurry of new technical regulations that have already started to shake up the grid.
For American viewers, there’s another big change: every single F1 race and session is now streaming exclusively on Apple TV, with a $12.99 monthly or $99 annual subscription. The Apple TV app is available across a dizzying range of devices, from iPhones and Androids to PlayStations, Xboxes, and even Roku sticks. Anyone curious can catch all practice sessions for free, right in front of the paywall, before deciding to dive in for the full season. And if you can’t watch live, on-demand replays are just a tap away, with the bonus of 4K HDR quality and surround sound. There’s even a dedicated Formula 1 section in the app, plus options to choose between F1.TV and Sky Sports commentary, onboard camera feeds, and a Multiview mode for the true die-hards. For those who prefer their racing with a soundtrack, Apple Music’s Radio tab has live commentary, and the Apple Sports app provides real-time timings for free.
The opening weekend’s schedule is packed, with Practice One having kicked off on Thursday evening Eastern Time, followed by two more practice sessions and qualifying before the main event on Saturday night. But it was Friday’s first practice that truly set the tone for what’s shaping up to be a thrilling—and unpredictable—season.
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari made the strongest statement, topping the timesheets with a last-gasp lap of 1m20.267s. His teammate, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, slotted in just behind, while four-time champion Max Verstappen took third for Red Bull. The session marked the official debut of F1’s 2026 technical regulations, which have radically altered the cars’ power units—a near 50:50 split between the turbocharged 1.6-liter V6 engine and energy harvested from braking. This new setup demands a fresh driving style and has already caught out several teams.
Leclerc’s performance, coming after he led the final pre-season test in Bahrain, was a boost for Ferrari. The Scuderia’s nimble car, equipped with a smaller turbo for quicker response, looked right at home on Melbourne’s demanding layout. Hamilton, rejuvenated and optimistic, credited the team’s winter work: “An amazing amount of work has been done from the team back at the factory, but also delivering on those tests, and we’ve learned a lot from last year.”
Red Bull’s Verstappen, while quick, sounded a note of caution. “I think we want to be a little bit faster and naturally everyone always wants to be faster,” he admitted. “But from the things that I think we learned in Bahrain, at least we were not the quickest. But yeah, I have no idea, we’ll just see where we are here to start with.” His new teammate, Isack Hadjar, impressed with a fourth-place finish, while Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top five.
Behind the leaders, Mercedes showed promise but didn’t quite light up the timing screens as some had predicted after pre-season rumors of an engine advantage. George Russell and rising star Kimi Antonelli finished seventh and eighth, respectively. Russell remained upbeat, saying, “The car is performing as we expected. What was very important is seeing the correlation (between wind tunnel and track) is good, there’s no major scares on the car. I put it on the ground and both Kimi and I were happy with how it was handling.”
McLaren, meanwhile, had a session to forget. Local favorite Oscar Piastri, who endured a heartbreaking end to his 2025 title campaign, reported power delivery issues—"something was not right," he said over the radio, later clarifying, "I’m idling, but I’ve got no throttle." His teammate, reigning champion Lando Norris, suffered from gearbox gremlins and was forced to end his session after just seven laps, leaving him down in 19th place. The pressure is on Piastri to deliver at home, especially after leading the championship for 189 days last season before losing out to Norris. "If I had a dollar for every time I got asked that, I’d be a few dollars richer!" Piastri joked about the constant questions regarding a home victory. "Every driver wants to win their home race and that’s no different for me."
Aston Martin’s woes ran even deeper. Fernando Alonso didn’t make it out for FP1 as Honda’s power unit developed a critical issue, and Lance Stroll could only manage three slow install laps. Honda confirmed, “We found a suspected power unit-related issue which will prevent car #14 from participating in FP1.” Team principal Adrian Newey had warned that vibrations from the Honda engine could risk nerve damage to the drivers’ hands—a grim prospect for a team already facing a brutal start to the campaign.
Elsewhere, the new American outfit Cadillac made its grand prix weekend debut with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas at the wheel. Both drivers kept it clean, finishing just under four seconds off the leaders—a respectable showing for F1’s 11th team. Perez did have a heart-stopping moment, spinning at Turn 4 after excessive engine braking, but managed to avoid any real damage.
Further down the order, Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hülkenberg rounded out the top ten, while Williams’ Alex Albon caused a late virtual safety car with a suspected hydraulic leak. There were no major incidents, though Racing Bulls rookie Lindblad stalled at pit exit early on, prompting a brief virtual safety car.
Off the track, the F1 paddock was abuzz with concern over the fate of the upcoming Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, scheduled for April 12 and 19. Ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran has led to closed airspaces and significant travel risks, prompting the FIA to postpone the World Endurance Championship round in Qatar. F1’s governing bodies are monitoring the situation closely, with a formal announcement expected soon regarding the status of the Middle East races. Safety, as always, remains paramount.
As the dust settles on the first day of the 2026 season, the new regulations have already delivered surprises and headaches in equal measure. Ferrari’s strong start, Mercedes’ measured optimism, McLaren’s technical nightmares, and Aston Martin’s struggles all set the stage for a weekend—and a season—full of intrigue. With the race itself still to come, all eyes remain on Albert Park, where the world will soon find out who can truly master F1’s bold new era.