F1 Australian Grand Prix 2026: The Ultimate Ferrari Fan’s Guide

The days of watching multiple hours of Bahrain testing is finally over, and we are just moments away from the first practice session of the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. This race is always a difficult one to watch live if you're in Europe, but the on-track action is worth waking up early for. This year, Ferrari will be hoping to continue its success from Bahrain testing, with many Formula 1 fans seeing the Scuderia as front-runners in 2026.

If, like myself, you’re an avid Ferrari fan, then this is the perfect race weekend guide for you. I will cover the Scuderia talking points heading into Melbourne, when all the sessions are taking place across Formula 1, Formula 2, and Formula 3, while also discussing some Melbourne track analysis and the Prancing Horse’s history at the circuit. So, let’s get into the ultimate Ferrari fan’s guide to the 2026 Australian Grand Prix…

State of the Scuderia

As this is the first race weekend of the season, we cannot know for sure exactly how strong the SF-26 is compared to our rivals. However, the vibe around the paddock seems to be positive. We have a competitive and reliable car, and Frederic Vasseur is yet to point out any glaring weaknesses. The Ferrari team principal has played down the Scuderia’s chances of winning in Australia, but we are all expecting Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc to be near the front of the field at the finish line.

One of the negative talking points surrounding Ferrari is Hamilton’s race engineer situation. The seven-time Formula 1 Drivers’ World Champion doesn’t have a permanent race engineer yet, with Kimi Raikkonen’s former race engineer, Carlo Santi, remaining with Hamilton until Ferrari find a long-term replacement. This was a major talking point for most of last season, with the British driver struggling to get results and having plenty of complaints about his previous race engineer, Riccardo Adami. However, Santi has a wealth of experience and is more than capable of guiding Hamilton throughout the opening races of the season.

Thankfully, Charles Leclerc hasn’t voiced his concerns about anything. The Monaco-born driver ran flawlessly throughout the final testing sessions in Bahrain, and once again looks like the leading driver at Ferrari. But with Hamilton's 2025 struggles hopefully forgotten, he should have a much more capable teammate this season, meaning, as a Ferrari fan, I’m very confident that this year could be our year!

What To Watch At The 2026 Australian GP

Although most of the Formula 1 fanbase is pretty casual these days, for the hardcore fans like you and me, we have much more than the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix to watch this weekend. Of course, the main event is the F1 race, but throughout the whole weekend we have Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy prospects competing in Formula 2 and Formula 3. Both Dino Beganovic and Rafael Camara are representing the FDA in F2, while Tuukka Taponen is our sole representative in Formula 3. It’s important to note that the F1 Academy season doesn’t start until China, so there will be no on-track action from Alba Larsen in Australia.

See the full Formula 1, Formula 2, and Formula 3 2026 Australian Grand Prix schedule below:

*Track Time is based on the local AEDT time zone.

Albert Park Circuit: Ferrari Track Analysis

As I mentioned earlier, it’s hard to know exactly how the SF-26 will fare among our rivals, given we have only seen it during testing sessions. However, during testing, the Ferrari seemed to handle corner entry and exits really well, and it looked surprisingly comfortable to drive despite the new 2026 car regulations making most F1 cars harder to control. But this won’t help us too much in Melbourne, as it’s a high-speed track, with limited slow or technical sections for us to take advantage of. In fact, the Albert Park Circuit has five straight mode zones, ‌two of which are on very long flat-out parts of the circuit. Meaning overtaking should be easy, but this will be the case for everyone, not just the Ferraris.

Albert Park isn’t a very complex circuit, with only 14 corners in total. Again, the SF-26 seems to like technical sections, so this doesn’t work in our favour. However, because of our impressive mid-corner stability and smoothness under braking, we might carry more speed into these high-speed sections via our corner exits, which should make us harder to overtake despite the large number of straight mode zones at the track.

The Scuderia’s Recent History At The Melbourne Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc should be full of confidence heading into the 2026 Australian GP, as the Ferrari driver currently holds the fastest F1 lap time around Albert Park, with a 1:19.813 in 2024. Of course, the SF-26 is very different to the 2024 machine, but having a wealth of local track knowledge will only help Leclerc. However, both Ferrari drivers struggled in Melbourne last season, with Lewis Hamilton finishing tenth and his teammate finishing slightly better in eighth. 2024 was a brilliant year for Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix, with the Scuderia securing a P1-P2 finish thanks to Leclerc and his former teammate Carlos Sainz, who now drives for Williams.

Ferrari Driver Academy Prospect Report: Australian GP 2026

Although most people only care about Formula 1, Ferrari has multiple prospects competing in the feeder series at the 2026 Australian GP. The Ferrari Driver Academy supported drivers attending the Melbourne Grand Prix are Dino Beganovic, Rafael Camara, and Tuukka Taponen. Both Beganovic and Camara compete in Formula 2, while Taponen races in Formula 3. 

Beganovic should be the leading FDA representative in Formula 2, as he has much more experience in F2 compared to Camara, who is making his series debut in Melbourne. Dino is also a Scuderia Ferrari F1 test driver, so this is an important year for the Swedish-Bosnian prospect if he is to fulfill his dream of competing for the Prancing Horse in Formula 1. I expect both drivers to finish in the top-ten at Albert Park, but Beganovic should be chasing down the leaders, while Camara will be happy to score points on his debut.

In Formula 3, Tuukka Taponen will also be eager to impress, with the Finnish driver gearing up for his second full season at F3 level. Taponen showed he can get podium finishes at F3 level last season, securing three in 19 races. However, I think a top five is more realistic this weekend, but don’t be surprised if he sneaks onto the podium or challenges for a race win. If Taponen can end the season in the top three of the Formula 3 standings, it might be time to move him up to Formula 2...

For my full 2026 Australian Grand Prix F1, F2, and F3 predictions, click here!

Will Ferrari win the 2026 Australian Grand Prix? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!