The 2026 Formula 1 season is officially launched in Melbourne. During the first free practice session, Ferrari made an impression with a 1-2 finish, while several teams were hampered by reliability issues.
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The 2026 Formula 1 championship began at the Albert Park circuit with the first free practice session of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. As every year, this first outing on track is a crucial moment for the teams, who discover their cars in real conditions after winter testing.
These FP1 sessions mark the first of three practice sessions scheduled before qualifying and the race. The program promises to be particularly dense for engineers and drivers, especially in a context marked by entirely renewed technical regulations.
Several teams have also explained that they planned two distinct running programs per session in order to collect the maximum amount of data. Indeed, the work to be carried out this Friday is comparable to what sometimes required a full half-day during winter testing.
Teams must notably analyze energy management over a lap, evaluate recovery during braking phases, and study the behavior of the cars on long stints. On a circuit like Albert Park, where recovery zones are relatively limited, this aspect becomes even more strategic.
Ferrari starts strong with a 1-2
At the end of this first session, Charles Leclerc was the fastest, placing his Ferrari at the top of the timesheets. The Monegasque driver set the best performance ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton, thus offering an encouraging 1-2 for the Scuderia.
This result is a positive signal for Ferrari, which hopes to join the fight for the top spots in this new regulatory era.
However, as always during a first practice session, the times must be interpreted with caution. Running programs vary greatly from one team to another, with some prioritizing qualifying simulations while others focus more on long stints and data collection.
The real hierarchy of the field will only truly begin to take shape as the weekend progresses.
An avalanche of technical developments
This first session was also marked by an impressive wave of technical innovations introduced by the teams.
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At McLaren, several elements have been revised, notably the floor, the rear suspension, and the rear wing. Mercedes, for its part, has made modifications to the deflectors as well as the front and rear wings.
On the Red Bull Racing side, engineers introduced a new front wing accompanied by a modified nose and a double-pillar rear wing.
Ferrari also brought several developments, notably to the front wing, the diffuser, and the rear wing, even though the Italian team did not use the rotating DRS system seen during the Bahrain tests.
Other teams like Williams, Racing Bulls, or Aston Martin also introduced various aerodynamic modifications, ranging from new floors to reworked elements around the diffuser and the engine cover.
Some of these developments had already been seen during winter testing, but this first session now allows them to be observed in racing conditions.
Reliability disrupts several teams
While Ferrari had a solid start to the weekend, not everyone had the same success. Several teams encountered technical problems that disrupted their work program.
Reliability remains one of the big question marks for this new generation of cars. The power units and energy systems, deeply modified by the new regulations, still require many adjustments.
These difficulties explain why teams are looking to accumulate as many kilometers as possible from the first sessions. Each lap completed allows for a better understanding of the limits of the new machines.
One thing is certain: the Australian weekend is just beginning, and the next sessions should offer a clearer picture of the real hierarchy of this 2026 F1 season, which already promises to be exciting.
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FP1 Classification of the 2026 F1 Australian GP:
