The 76th Formula One world championship season gets underway this weekend in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix. A historic season begins down under with one of the biggest regulation changes the sport has ever seen. These new regulations seem to have shook the pack up and have left us with plenty of unanswered questions heading into the season opener.
One thing that hasn’t changed though is the British representation on the Formula One grid. A record equaling five brits are scheduled to take the start of the Australian Grand Prix. The last time we saw five Brits on the grid was back in 2002. David Coulthard, Jensen Button, Eddie Irvine, Anthony Davidson and Allan McNish all competed under the British flag that season.
The fascinating thing about the current crop of British drivers is that they are all at very different points in their careers. They all come into Australia with different goals and aspirations for their 2026 season. So lets go over what each driver will be expecting ahead of the kickoff of the F1 season in Australia.
Lando Norris: Stay on top of the mountain
It’s only right to start with the reigning world champion in this list. Lando Norris became the 11th British Formula One world Champion last year and he will be hoping to become just the fifth Brit in history to win multiple. Norris had a solid Bahrain test, setting the fourth fastest time and getting to grips with his Mclaren with no real delays. Mclaren’s lap count was also very impressive and shows that they have solid reliability heading into the season. Norris claimed victory at Albert Park last year in a mixed conditions contest so he knows how to get it done down under.
Mclaren look like they have a strong package heading into race one of this season and Norris will be high on confidence after his triumph last season. Norris is going to have to be at the very top of his game to withstand the challenges of not just Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull but also his home favourite teammate Oscar Piastri. But, it’s a challenge that Norris must overcome if he wants to prove himself as one of Formula One’s elites.
Lewis Hamilton: A pivotal career year
What feels like a crucial year in Lewis Hamilton’s career gets underway at a track he has won at twice in his career. Ferrari have come out of pre-season testing with a lot of hype around them. Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc set the fastest time in testing and the noise around the team is positive. Hamilton’s debut year with the Scuderia was not what he would have dreamt up but it looks like he could have the opportunity to change that in his sophomore season with the team.
The 2026 season feels like a make or break one for Hamilton’s Formula One future. It’s a contract year for Hamilton as his deal expires at the end of the 2026 season. There will most likely be no doubt that Ferrari will want him to continue with the team beyond this year. But if Ferrari fail to perform once again, could the seven time world champion start to consider walking away from Formula One?
Hamilton needs to have a good Australian Grand Prix weekend and kickstart a potentially record breaking title challenge.
George Russell: A year of opportunity
George Russell comes into 2026 off the back of a solid sixth season in Formula One. The 28 year old claimed nine podiums last year and led the Mercedes team for the first time in the post Hamilton era. Over the last few years, Russell has shown brilliant consistency which is a vital trait for a world champion. Mercedes has had a good pre-season so far. Despite questions over the legality of their engines, they ran like a treat in Bahrain. The German outfit racked up 432 laps over the three official pre-season test days, the most of any team. The lap times also looked promising, Russell clocked the sixth fastest time and his teammate Antonelli was second quickest.
The overall package looks very solid for Mercedes at this point compared to previous years. And I think that if Russell is given a top car, he could be a real contender for the world championship come December. However, he must start well at a circuit he has finished on the podium twice before.
Oliver Bearman: Build on from encouraging first season
Ollie Bearman made his full time debut in Formula One last year with some encouraging signs. The highlight of Bearman’s rookie season was his brilliant results in the back end of last year, claiming sixth at Zandvoort and fourth in Mexico. The 20 year old goes into this season ninth fastest in pre-season testing and 199 laps to his name. Both Haas drivers seemed very satisfied with the performance of their car heading into the first race of the season and the Ferrari power unit looks to be a strong one.
Bearman had a tricky Australian Grand Prix in 2025 finishing 14th, a result he will be looking to improve upon this Sunday. If Bearman can go out and beat experienced teammate Esteban Ocon then he will surely start to solidify himself as the number one driver in the team and potentially attract the attention of Ferrari.
Arvid Lindblad: A crucial rookie campaign
The newest British Formula One driver Arvid Lindblad will contest his first grand prix this weekend. The 18 year old completed the most laps in pre-season testing, tallying almost 1300 kilometers. The interesting thing about Lindblad is that whilst everyone else had to forget and re-learn how to drive the old generation of Formula One cars, Lindblad was a clean slate and could instantly start to understand his new car. A lot of drivers have also said that the cars are handling similar to a Formula Two car now. And which driver on the grid drove a Formula Two car most recently? Arvid Lindblad!
We have seen the way that Red Bull have chopped and changed drivers if they aren’t performing well so it’s crucial Lindblad performs from the off. However, he may breathe easier now that Helmut Marko isn’t steering the ship in the Red Bull driver academy anymore. The most important thing for Lindblad this weekend is maximising his track time and making minimal mistakes.
The Australian Grand Prix promises to be a brilliant spectacle. The new era of Formula One still has plenty of question marks around it so we can’t wait to see how it all plays out at the first race of the season!
