2026 Australian Grand Prix
| 2026 Australian Grand Prix | ||||
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Race 1 of 22 in the 2026 Formula One World Championship
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Layout of the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit | ||||
| Race details | ||||
| Date | 8 March 2026 | |||
| Official name | Formula 1 Qatar Airways Australian Grand Prix 2026 | |||
| Location | Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | |||
| Course | Temporary street circuit | |||
| Course length | 5.278 km (3.280 miles) | |||
| Distance | 58 laps, 306.124 km (190.217 miles) | |||
| Weather | Partly cloudy | |||
| Attendance | 483,934 | |||
| Pole position | ||||
| Driver | Mercedes | |||
| Time | 1:18.518 | |||
| Fastest lap | ||||
| Driver | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing-Red Bull Ford | ||
| Time | 1:22.091 on lap 43 | |||
| Podium | ||||
| First | Mercedes | |||
| Second | Mercedes | |||
| Third | Ferrari | |||
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Lap leaders | ||||
The 2026 Australian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Qatar Airways Australian Grand Prix 2026) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 8 March 2026 at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was the first round of the 2026 Formula One World Championship, which brought about major regulation changes revolving around the chassis and power unit.
After surviving an early-stage battle against Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, polesitter George Russell led teammate Kimi Antonelli to Mercedes's 61st 1–2 finish. Leclerc rounded out the podium for Ferrari ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton; both drivers led for at least one point during the Grand Prix. Russell's win made this the first time he led the Drivers' Championship; his team Mercedes led the Constructors' Championship.