Formula One News — March 2026

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur summed up the Melbourne paddock's mood on Sunday morning with three words: Mercedes were "on another planet" in qualifying, and almost nobody believes Toto Wolff's insistence that there was no sandbagging involved in the winter.

Felipe Massa has secured a partial victory in his long-running legal battle over the 2008 Crashgate scandal, with a high court judge ordering the FIA, Bernie Ecclestone and Formula One Management to pay the former Ferrari driver $315,000 in costs.

Max Verstappen arrived at race day in Melbourne having needed an X-ray on his hand after the strangest crash of his career, emotionally drained by what he called the worst cars he has ever driven, and openly hinting he would rather spend a free April racing at the Nurburgring.

Nyck de Vries has upgraded his relationship with McLaren from simulator and testing work to full reserve driver status, filling the trackside role at this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.

Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto sparked a paddock storm in Melbourne on Saturday when a safety complaint he raised prompted the FIA to ban straight-line mode in a key sector - only for the governing body to reverse the decision two hours later under pressure from the other teams.

Pedro de la Rosa had at least something to celebrate in Melbourne beyond his Aston Martin ambassador duties, with his 19-year-old nephew Bruno del Pino winning on his Formula 3 debut in the support programme to the Australian GP.

Fernando Alonso has made clear that Aston Martin will not hesitate to retire from Sunday's Australian GP at the first sign of battery trouble, with the team's participation in next week's Chinese Grand Prix hanging in the balance.

Australia GP - Sunday Photos

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is set to meet team bosses in Melbourne on Saturday with the fate of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix expected to dominate the agenda.

The possibility of Aston Martin terminating its Honda works deal mid-season cannot be ruled out, according to former F1 driver Timo Glock, as the partnership's crisis deepened further on Saturday in Melbourne.

Charles Leclerc has spoken openly about extending his Ferrari contract - but on track warned that Mercedes looks significantly stronger than anticipated in Melbourne.

Formula 1 drivers say they trust the sport's leadership to make the right call as the escalating Iran crisis casts doubt over the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.

Max Verstappen has pushed back at GPDA director Carlos Sainz's suggestion that Formula 1's leadership should be approached if the 2026 regulations prove damaging to the sport.

Fernando Alonso has pushed back at suggestions he cannot safely race this weekend, even as Aston Martin's Honda power unit crisis reached a new low on Friday with the Spaniard sitting out FP1 entirely and Lance Stroll managing only a handful of laps.

Ralf Schumacher has warned that even Formula 1's television experts will struggle to keep up with the complexity of the 2026 regulations, admitting mistakes on air are inevitable in the opening races.

Aston Martin's deepening crisis has left the team unable to move on from Adrian Newey even if it wanted to, according to former F1 driver and paddock analyst Ivan Capelli.

The Albert Park pitlane building will be demolished immediately after this weekend's Australian Grand Prix - and its replacement has become significantly more expensive after asbestos was discovered at the site.

Aston Martin only discovered after signing its Honda works deal that the Japanese manufacturer had lost the bulk of its experienced engineering staff - a revelation that goes to the heart of the team's deepening crisis in Melbourne.

Auatralian GP - Practice 2 Results

Australian GP - Practice 1 Results

Adrian Newey has warned Aston Martin's troubled 2026 car could physically harm its drivers if the team pushes too hard at the Australian GP.

The escalating Middle East conflict is now threatening multiple global motorsport championships, with MotoGP's chief admitting the Qatar race is unlikely to go ahead - a signal that could also affect Formula 1.

Bottas bucks driver criticism of new F1 rules.

Pierre Gasly says he is surprised the traditional top teams still appear to dominate Formula 1 despite the sweeping 2026 rule reset.