Image source, Getty Images

Well, no better time to remind ourselves what's new in 2026:

• Engines - now a near 50-50 split between electric and internal combustion power - and use fully sustainable fuels
• DRS overtaking aid gone - replaced by overtake mode, a burst of extra electrical power when a driver is within one second of the car ahead at a detection point, usually the final corner
• Active aero - both the front and rear wings adjust angles to reduce drag on straights (straight mode) and increase downforce in corners (corner mode)
• Recharge - cars can recover energy during braking, running the engine at high revs in corners, lifting off early and coasting at the end of straights and from not being at full throttle
• Boost mode - Alex Albon described this button as like Popeye taking his spinach. Drivers can deploy extra energy that has been recovered wherever they choose, for either an attack or to defend

Tom: The Australian GP curse might actually be real...

James: I think today is going to be very telling as to what this season is going to bring in regards to what can be achieved when "racing". Whilst F1 is trying to be good by being more eco friendly they are also potentially causing irreversible damage.

So, 22 drivers now become 21 for the start of the race in Melbourne. Oscar Piastri is making his way back to the garage now, race helmet still on. It'll be interesting to hear the Australian's thoughts on the incident - will we see more of this over the course of today's 58-lap race?

Norris: "Did something happen? Or he just broken down?"

Engineer: "He lost it on the exit kerb at Turn Four doing a shift."

The Australian fans in the grandstands cannot believe what they've just seen. Oscar Piastri is safely out of the car but that's his home race over before it's even begun.

He was on his way to the grid, took a bit too much of the kerb at Turn Four and was sent into a spin before crashing into the barriers.

Lando Norris is on the radio to ask if his team-mate has just come to a stop, is it a mechincal issue maybe?

The pit lane is open but it's head in hands already for constructors' champions McLaren. Australian Oscar Piastri has spun off and crashed on the reconnaissance lap!

Image source, Getty Images

It’s fair to say the early reviews have not been favourable for the bold new rule changes in Formula 1 this year, with many drivers expressing their frustrations before we go racing at Albert Park today.

After three practice sessions and one qualifying where three drivers didn't even set a lap time, what are your expectations for the Australian Grand Prix?

Will we see a chaotic event of car, not driver, errors? Or will the need for drivers to use their energy recovery and deployment wisely create some unexpected moments on track?

Let us know your thoughts and opinions by selecting the ‘Get Involved’ button on the page to have your say.

Image source, Getty Images

The title defence starts today for drivers’ champion Lando Norris and constructors’ winners McLaren. Briton Norris secured his maiden crown by two points from Max Verstappen at the finale in Abu Dhabi in December but with F1’s new rules now in play, what are his chances of repeat success in 2026?

He starts sixth for the season opener and said his weekend so far has not been easy. "Just not a lot of laps, a lot of issues," he added.

Norris then highlighted the difficulties with the fresh regulations, calling the car "just odd."

Image source, Getty Images

He said laps now "are more valuable than ever", adding: "In the past, miss P1, not too bothered. Now, you miss five laps, not only do you as a driver have to figure things out quicker, the engine doesn't learn what it needs to learn and then you're just on the back foot."

Hopefully this isn't a sign of what's to come but Norris' parade car broke down earlier on and he needed a lift off team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent in Melbourne

Image source, Getty Images

After seeing George Russell's performance, compatriot Lewis Hamilton said Mercedes could put this year's world championship out of reach within "a few months".

Hamilton's team Ferrari - plus Audi, Red Bull and Honda - had been pushing for a change in the regulation governing compression ratios as they believed Mercedes had secured an advantage through clever use of materials technology.

F1's governing body the FIA said a week ago that a change to the way the compression ratio is measured would be introduced on 1 June, with a further revision for the 2027 season.

"If they have a few months of that, then the season's done. I mean, not done, but seven races, a few months - you lose a lot of points when you are a second behind,” said seven-time world champion Hamilton.

Image source, Getty Images

Polesitter George Russell speaking to Sky Sports: "I've worked as hard as I could up until this point, there's still so much we need to learn and understand, but honestly I think we just did a really amazing job yesterday.

"I think the car is mega quick and I don't think the lap time difference that we showed is probably that real.

"When I look back on some things I think that McLaren looked quick in Q1, but didn't really translate it in Q3. It doesn't guarantee anything for today."

On expecting the race to be cat and mouse in terms of overtakes: "I think it could be, if someone uses their overtake and passes a driver, then they will be out of energy. It could be quite fun, so I'm hoping to be honest that we're not in that situation.

"I'm hoping we get a clean start and can pull away, but we've seen how complicated it is and I doubt it will be that straightforward."

On if it helps that his team-mate Kimi Antonelli is P2: "It does, but there's a button that we can all press whenever we want to. I think we both just want to keep it clean, it's race one and we want to get through.

"We're not flushed with spare parts heading into China next week, so we just want a clean race. We've got the pace to win it and I just want to get off the line, get through the pit stops and any safety cars as that's not an easy procedure, and see how we get on."

Image source, Getty Images

This photograph may look like an uncle posing with his two nephews but it's actually the first Saturday top three of a new dawn in Formula 1.

Mercedes showed exactly why they were tipped as the favourites heading into the campaign as George Russell took pole position with ease, leading team-mate Kimi Antonelli by 0.363 seconds.

The rest of the pack were left trailing behind the Silver Arrows and even the likes McLaren and Ferrari were eight to nine tenths away from Russell's pole time.

Russell said even Mercedes didn’t anticipate the car to be this fast but he is still cautious about what could happen at Albert Park today.

"A lot of simple things in the past, like race starts and pit stops, are a hell of a lot more challenging with these new cars," he said.

Isack Hadjar had the pressure on his shoulders following Max Verstappen's Q1 elimination but the Frenchman performed strongly on his qualifying debut for Red Bull and takes his spot in third place alongside Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in fourth.

Are Mercedes are going to run away with both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles in 2026?

After their commanding display in the first qualifying session of the season, Harry Benjamin, Jennie Gow and Marc Priestley pick through the bones of what happened.

The team hear from many of the drivers and discuss what it all means heading into Sunday’s race.

Lorraine McKenna
BBC Sport Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Good morning, folks. Yes, it's still mega early but it's an exciting day for us because the first race of the 2026 season, new regulations and all, has finally arrived.

What the 58 laps of Albert Park have in store for us, however, is anyone's guess. F1 is stepping into a new era this year and racing could look very different to what we've been used to in the past.

With power units a near 50-50 split between electric and internal combustion power, we'll be hearing a lot about battery management, boost and overtake modes and, hopefully, some decent drama to go with it.

Mercedes were a cut above the rest in qualifying on Saturday and secured a front-row lockout for the Australian Grand Prix by a hefty margin.

George Russell is on pole position with team-mate Kimi Antonelli alongside him, with the Red Bull of Isack Hadjar, not Max Verstappen, who crashed out in Q1 without setting a lap time, in third spot.