March 8, 2026 Australian Grand Prix

2026 Australian GP: Before the Race

The first race of the season — the Australian Grand Prix — will take place today. Although the balance of power became clearer during qualifying, the race itself could still produce plenty of surprises.

Many factors can influence the outcome — including weather conditions, starting positions, tyre allocations and race strategies. With only a few hours left before the start, here is a quick look at the key points ahead of the race.

Weather forecast

Drivers will head out for the formation lap at 15:00 local time. By then, the air temperature is expected to reach around 24°C, with partly cloudy skies. No rain is forecast.

Remember, the wet conditions of last year’s race in Melbourne produced an extremely entertaining contest.

Starting grid

Three drivers — Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll — did not set a qualifying time yesterday. Their teams therefore submitted requests to the stewards for permission to start the race.

Verstappen and Sainz were allowed to race because their practice lap times were within 107% of the fastest qualifying lap. Stroll’s best time did not meet that requirement, but he was still permitted to start, with the stewards taking into account both his teammate Fernando Alonso’s result and Stroll’s race experience.

1. George Russell Mercedes 1:18.518
		2. Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:18.811 + 0.293
3. Isack Hadjar Red Bull 1:19.303 + 0.785
		4. Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:19.327 + 0.809
5. Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:19.380 + 0.862
		6. Lando Norris McLaren 1:19.475 + 0.957
7. Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:19.478 + 0.960
		8. Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:19.994 + 1.476
9. Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 1:21.247 + 2.729
		10. Gabriel Bortoleto Audi No time
11. Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:20.303
		12. Oliver Bearman Haas 1:20.311
13. Esteban Ocon Haas 1:20.491
		14. Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:20.501
15. Akexander Albon Williams 1:20.941
		16. Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:21.270
17. Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:21.969
		18. Sergio Perez Cadillac 1:22.605
19. Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1:23.244
		20. Max Verstappen Red Bull No time Allowed to start the race
21. Carlos Sainz Williams No time Allowed to start the race
		22. Lance Stroll Aston Martin No time Allowed to start the race

Available tyre sets

#	Driver	C3 n.	C3 u.	C4 n.	C4 u.	C5 n.	C5 u.
81	Oscar Piastri	1	0	2	0	0	3
1	Lando Norris	1	0	2	0	0	3
63	George Russell	1	0	2	0	0	3
12	Kimi Antonelli	1	0	2	0	0	3
3	Max Verstappen	2	0	1	0	3	1
6	Isack Hadjar	2	0	1	0	0	3
16	Charles Leclerc	1	0	1	1	0	3
44	Lewis Hamilton	1	0	1	1	0	3
23	Alexander Albon	1	0	1	0	1	4
55	Carlos Sainz	1	0	1	0	5	0
41	Arvid Lindblad	1	0	1	0	1	3
30	Liam Lawson	1	0	1	0	1	3
18	Lance Stroll	1	0	2	0	4	0
14	Fernando Alonso	1	0	1	0	2	3
31	Esteban Ocon	1	0	1	0	1	4
87	Oliver Bearman	1	0	1	0	1	4
27	Nico Hulkenberg	2	0	1	0	1	3
5	Gabriel Bortoleto	2	0	1	0	1	2
10	Pierre Gasly	1	0	1	0	1	4
43	Franco Colapinto	1	0	1	0	1	4
11	Sergio Perez	2	0	1	0	1	3
77	Valtteri Bottas	2	0	1	0	1	3

n. – new
u. – used

Pirelli’s Prediction

The Italian tyre supplier has been satisfied with how the tyres have performed over the Melbourne race weekend.

The newly appointed head of race programmes at Pirelli, Dario Marrafuschi, commented: “Based on performance analysis and the condition of the sets at the end of the sessions, all three compounds could play a role in tomorrow’s race strategies. We believe that a one-stop approach is feasible for the teams, with the Medium–Hard combination being the fastest on paper. This would involve switching between lap 20 and lap 26.

“Some high-fuel runs with a representative number of laps in free practice have also paved the way for the use of the soft compound. If managed correctly, the C5 could be a viable option at the start of the race, with the C3 being used for the remainder of the race, fitted between laps 15 and 21.

“It should be noted that the time lost in the pit lane for a tyre change is minimal at around 21 seconds, and Melbourne’s history of race neutralisations indicates a 75% probability of a safety car. Consequently, the possibility of two-stop strategies on Sunday remains real. In that case, teams could opt for the Medium–Hard–Medium combination, or if they want to take a more aggressive approach, the Soft–Medium–Soft combination. After all, there have certainly been no shortage of track stoppages both yesterday and today”.