Sky Sports F1 Predictions: 2026 Australian Grand Prix

Pre-season chat ends when the lights go out in Melbourne. Seven members of the Sky Sports F1 team have made their calls ahead of round one of the 24-race 2026 campaign, weighing in on the Australian GP podium, the title races and a few bold season-long forecasts.

Australian GP podium predictions

Martin Brundle: Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Oscar Piastri
Simon Lazenby: George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton
Natalie Pinkham: Lando Norris, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton
David Croft: George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris
Karun Chandhok: George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris
Rachel Brookes: George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli
Anthony Davidson: George Russell, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris

How many different race winners in 2026?

Simon Lazenby: Five
David Croft: Eight — he thinks eight likely, and a ninth or tenth wouldn’t surprise him
Rachel Brookes: Ten — expects varied energy-management demands to open opportunities
Anthony Davidson: Seven
Karun Chandhok: Five
Natalie Pinkham: Eight
Martin Brundle: At least six — he expects a wilder season with more winners than usual

Who will win the 2026 Drivers’ Championship?

Natalie Pinkham: George Russell
David Croft: George Russell (also names likely contenders: Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar)
Martin Brundle: George Russell
Karun Chandhok: George Russell
Rachel Brookes: George Russell
Anthony Davidson: George Russell — feels Russell has started the year well
Simon Lazenby: George Russell

Who will take the 2026 Constructors’ Championship?

Simon Lazenby: Mercedes
Natalie Pinkham: Ferrari
Martin Brundle: McLaren
David Croft: McLaren — cites a very strong driver pairing and expects them to be the favorites
Rachel Brookes: Mercedes
Karun Chandhok: McLaren
Anthony Davidson: Open — sees the top four extremely tight: Mercedes and McLaren strong, Red Bull improving, Ferrari quick in Bahrain

One bold prediction for the season

Karun Chandhok: Haas earns its first podium
Simon Lazenby: Isack Hadjar wins a race
Anthony Davidson: Kimi Antonelli becomes World Champion
Natalie Pinkham: Isack Hadjar stands on the podium in the first half of the year

Which race are they most looking forward to?

Anthony Davidson: Melbourne — the first step into the unknown
Natalie Pinkham: Japan
Simon Lazenby: Melbourne — Saturday will reveal the early pecking order
David Croft: Silverstone — best track and best fans
Rachel Brookes: Australia
Karun Chandhok: British GP — likely a three-way fight with George, Lando and Lewis
Martin Brundle: The next race!

Will Cadillac score its first points in its debut F1 year, and where?

Martin Brundle: China (early season)
Anthony Davidson: Montreal — if reliability holds and with experienced drivers on board
Natalie Pinkham: Austin
Simon Lazenby: Yes — possibly via an anomaly such as weather; likely in the first half of the season
Karun Chandhok: No
Rachel Brookes: Brazil — wet, mixed-up conditions could level the field
David Croft: China — on a Sprint weekend with tyre management and potential rain

Surprises or shocks to watch for

David Croft: Oliver Bearman to score a podium; biggest shock would be Fernando Alonso deciding to keep racing in 2027
Rachel Brookes: Pierre Gasly returning to the podium this season
Martin Brundle: Aston Martin suffering a downturn, while Alpine could be a positive surprise

Sky Sports F1’s Australian GP schedule (UK local times)

Thursday March 5

03:00 Drivers' Press Conference
06:00 Paddock Uncut
21:45 F3 Practice
22:55 F2 Practice

Friday March 6

01:00 Australian GP Practice One (session starts 01:30)
02:55 F3 Qualifying
03:30 Team Bosses Press Conference
03:50 F2 Qualifying
04:35 Australian GP Practice Two (session starts 05:00)
06:15 The F1 Show

Saturday March 7

00:10 F3 Sprint
01:10 Australian GP Practice Three (session starts 01:30)
03:05 F2 Sprint
04:10 Australian GP Qualifying build-up
05:00 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying
07:00 Ted's Qualifying Notebook
21:45 F3 Feature Race

Sunday March 8

00:20 F2 Feature Race
02:30 Australian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday
04:00 The Australian Grand Prix
06:00 Australian GP reaction: Chequered Flag
07:00 Ted's Notebook
07:55 Australian GP race replay
10:00 Australian GP highlights (also on Sky One)

Watch every race of the 2026 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports, starting with the Australian Grand Prix from March 6–8. Stream Sky Sports with NOW — no contract, cancel anytime.