With fresh regulations expected to test reliability early in the season, attrition was always likely at Albert Park.<\/p>\n
F1 expanded its grid to 22 cars for 2026 with the arrival of Cadillac. However, it will at least have to wait until the Chinese Grand Prix to realise that reality.<\/p>\n
Even before the race had begun there were two retirements, which left the grid at 20 cars.<\/p>\n
Several other drivers encountered issues during the 56-lap race as teams continued to learn about the new machinery, including the expected difficult afternoon for Aston Martin.<\/p>\n
Here is what happened to each driver who retired from the Australian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) \u2013 DNS (did not start)<\/p>\n
Oscar Piastri\u2019s home race ended before it had even begun after a crash on his way to the grid.<\/p>\n
The Australian had qualified a promising fifth but struck trouble during the formation phase when he clipped the kerb at Turn 4 and spun into the barriers<\/a>, leaving an empty space on the grid and stunning the Melbourne crowd.<\/p>\n Oscar Piastri has crashed and is OUT of the Australian Grand Prix before it begins \ud83d\ude2e#F1<\/a> #AusGP<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/5prGby7dNC<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) March 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Piastri admitted afterwards that a mix of circumstances contributed to the mistake, bringing an abrupt end to his race weekend before lights out.<\/p>\n \u201cToday was not how we wanted to start the season,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, a combination of factors, including cold tyres, being up on the kerb and then more power than I had in quali in that corner, meant I spun.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will review everything this evening and go into next week with our heads down and ready to keep fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) \u2013 DNS<\/p>\n Audi\u2019s Formula 1 debut still yielded points, but Nico Hulkenberg never got the chance to take part.<\/p>\n The German encountered a technical issue on the way to the grid, forcing the team to wheel his car away late in the pre-race procedure.<\/p>\n Attempts to resolve the problem proved unsuccessful, preventing Hulkenberg from starting even from the pit lane.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, we didn\u2019t get the chance to compete today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe developed a technical problem on the way to the grid, and it was something we couldn\u2019t resolve in time for the start.<\/p>\n \u201cThe team is investigating now to understand exactly what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n While Hulkenberg\u2019s race was over before it began, teammate Gabriel Bortoleto salvaged a positive result for the new manufacturer by finishing ninth and securing two points for the team.<\/p>\n Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) \u2013 Lap 10<\/p>\n Isack Hadjar was firmly in the fight during the opening stages after qualifying third, before reliability struck.<\/p>\n The Red Bull driver lost ground off the line to the Ferraris but remained in contention until his power unit failed, sending smoke pouring from the rear of the car.<\/p>\n Hadjar pulled onto the grass to retire, ending what had looked like a promising afternoon.<\/p>\n The French rookie felt the problem coming long before the car gave up entirely.<\/p>\n \u201cToday was frustrating,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI was confident that we could challenge for the podium so this result is a shame.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt really strong off the line but unfortunately the issue we had came up straight away.<\/p>\n \u201cThe car was making a funny sound and I knew that we weren\u2019t going to make it to the end.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s frustrating, but these things can happen and we\u2019re so early on in our journey.\u201d<\/p>\n Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) \u2013 Lap 15<\/p>\n Cadillac\u2019s long-awaited debut produced one retirement when Valtteri Bottas was forced out midway through the race.<\/p>\n The Finn parked his car on the grass at the entry of the pit lane after encountering a fuel system issue, triggering the race\u2019s second Virtual Safety Car period.<\/p>\n The interruption prompted several drivers to pit and reshaped strategy further down the order.<\/p>\n LAP 19\/58<\/p>\n \ud83d\udfe1 VIRTUAL SAFETY CAR \ud83d\udfe1<\/p>\n Valtteri Bottas retires from the race, pulling over on the inside of the final corner! \ud83d\ude33#F1<\/a> #AusGP<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Eb6As2VvrZ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) March 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Despite his early exit, Bottas stressed the milestone of Cadillac finally reaching the grid.<\/p>\n \u201cWe made history as a team today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur first-ever grand prix weekend, and we\u2019re here, we\u2019re racing, and that\u2019s a proud moment for everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a shame that the race was cut short for me due to a fuel system problem, but we learned a lot.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s still a lot of positives to take from this weekend, and it\u2019s only the very start of this journey together.\u201d<\/p>\n Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) \u2013 Lap 21<\/p>\n Fernando Alonso briefly featured among the early movers before Aston Martin turned his race into a data-gathering exercise.<\/p>\n Starting 17th, Alonso surged into the top 10 on the opening laps on soft tyres, but the team soon brought him into the garage to inspect the car.<\/p>\n He was later sent back out for additional running before ultimately being retired for good later in the race.<\/p>\n Alonso said the opening laps were the highlight of an otherwise quiet afternoon.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first two laps were the most enjoyable part of the race for me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a good start and ended up P10, which was unexpected. We were then out of position and so we fell back.<\/p>\n \u201cWe then brought the car into the garage to check things over and went back out before we had to retire the car.<\/p>\n \u201cChina next weekend will be another good opportunity to get mileage and optimise things.\u201d<\/p>\n Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) \u2013 Not Classified<\/p>\n Lance Stroll technically finished the race but was not classified after finishing 15 laps behind the winner.<\/p>\n Like Alonso, the Canadian spent time in the garage during the race as Aston Martin checked over the car before sending him back out to gather mileage under race conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was good to get some kilometres in the car today, especially after missing pretty much all the track running this weekend,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe used the race as a learning session and stopped for several laps to check things over in the garage before heading back out.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s still quite a bit missing in terms of performance and reliability, but the laps we managed today should give us a bit more direction going into China.\u201d<\/p>\n Mercedes outsmarts Ferrari for 1-2 in epic Australian GP<\/a>
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