Live from Melbourne
The latest from Albert Park
Join us all weekend for updates on Alex's first Grand Prix of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
06 March 2026
08 March 2026
Australian GP ✅
08 March 2026
PIT and ALEX
PIT: P12. P12.
PIT: Well done Alex today. Great job with what we had.
PIT: That was a lot of overhead on your part.
ALEX: A lot to work on, but I think we can work on it together.
08 March 2026
Chequered Flag 🏁
Alex keeps LAW away and crosses the line in P12!
08 March 2026
LAST LAP 🏁
It’s been quite the fight, but Alex has done the race distance – almost.
One tour of Albert Park remains.
08 March 2026
Lap 56/58
The fight for P12 is staying close, but Alex is fending off LAW well so far.
08 March 2026
Lap 53/58
LAW is now only 0.8s away from Alex as we enter the final stages.
He’ll have overtake mode available now.
08 March 2026
It's been brilliant to see Alex back in action today as F1 returned 📸
08 March 2026
Lap 47/58
It’s now five seconds to LAW, who continues to catch.
Can Alex hold on to P12 until the flag?
08 March 2026
Lap 44/58
LAW is the threat behind as the Racing Bulls racer slowly closes the gap.
It’s 6.7s at the moment with 15 laps to go.
08 March 2026
PIT to ALEX
LAW 8s behind, lapping around the same times as you on the same tyre.
08 March 2026
Lap 42/58
Alex moves aside for faster traffic lapping him.
08 March 2026
Lap 39/58
Alex is running in the middle of a huge gap.
It’s 31s to OCO in P12, who is battling BOR for P11, and 12s to LAW.
08 March 2026
Box, box 🅿️
Albono boxes for a second time and picks up a fresh set of Soft tyres.
He returns to track in P12 and is now 28s behind BOR, who also stopped.
08 March 2026
Quick VSC 🟡🟢
Debris on the run to T9 sees a Virtual Safety Car deployment, but a rapid recovery sees the track go green very quickly.
08 March 2026
Lap 34/58
Alex had opened a gap of 2.5s to SAI, but is some 16.7s behind OCO in P11.
P12 for Albono now, who has complained a little about his tyres, with his front left sitting with a flat spot.
08 March 2026
Lap 30/58
Alex is up to P12! A pass on SAI into Turn 11 gets Albono back ahead as the lead Williams.
08 March 2026
Lap 29/58
Alex is right on the tail of SAI for P12… 0.6s between the two teammates.
That means he’ll have Overtake Mode available to help him get by.
08 March 2026
Alex speeding through as we approach the halfway mark of this race 📸
08 March 2026
Lap 26/58
Alex is closing in on SAI now, with 1.4s separating the two FW48s.
08 March 2026
Lap 23/58
Alex is P13, 2.7s away from teammate SAI.
LAW is the car behind, but the Racing Bulls driver is 13s adrift.
08 March 2026
Green Flag 🟢
The VSC ends on Lap 20/58 with Alex in P13 after running through the Turn 3 gravel and allowing SAI through before the slowdown.
08 March 2026
Virtual Safety Car 🟡
BOT is the latest car to pull over at the side of the road.
His Cadillac is on the side of the pit entry.
The second VSC of the day is deployed.
08 March 2026
It's been too long since we've seen this sight 📸
08 March 2026
Green Flag 🟢
We go back racing on Lap 14.
08 March 2026
Box, box 🅿️
Alex pits on Lap 13 and gets a set of Hards.
He’s back on track in P12 and only five cars ahead have also stopped.
08 March 2026
ALEX and PIT
ALEX: It’s so unbalanced. We could take a bit of flap off the front wing.
PIT: Affirm.
08 March 2026
Virtual Safety Car 🟡
The VSC comes out to allow HAD’s car to be recovered.
Alex elects not to pit.
08 March 2026
LAP 11/58
HAD pulls over the to side of the road to elevate Alex to P12.
08 March 2026
LAP 9/58
It’s nine laps down and Alex is P13 and 4.1s away from BOR.
SAI remains behind, 1.7s away from Albono’s rear wing.
08 March 2026
LAP 5/58
The soft tyres of ALO that took the Aston Martin up the order are possibly fading.
Alex scythes up the inside of Turn 9 to take P13!
08 March 2026
LAP 4/58
VER speeds by as the four-time champion goes through the pack from his qualifying crash.
That’s Alex in P14.
08 March 2026
LAP 3/58
BEA eases by down the pit straight with Overtake Mode enabled.
Alex drops to P13
08 March 2026
Lights Out ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️
Alex makes it through the first corners without issue and gains two places!
He’s up to P12 with BOR ahead and SAI behind.
08 March 2026
Formation Lap 🟢
Alex gets away okay for the first formation lap of 2026.
08 March 2026
Tyre Talk 🛞
There are yellow-walled Mediums on Alex’s car, along with most of the grid around him.
08 March 2026
Alex on his way to the grid in his new FW48 for 2026 📸
08 March 2026
National Anthem 🎼
It’s time for the Australian national anthem to play out.
Alex is upstanding at the start-finish lap to watch the performance.
08 March 2026
Grid Update 📰
PIA has crashed on his installation lap.
The home driver was set to start from P5, meaning there will be one fewer car ahead of Alex at lights out.
08 March 2026
Alex is in full focus mode on the grid 📸
08 March 2026
Race Day 🇦🇺
Welcome back to Grand Prix Sundays, Albono fans!
The long wait for wheel-to-wheel action is over today, and Alex will be taking to the track soon.
It was a P15 qualification yesterday so everything is to play for today.
Join us here to hear how car 23 fares around Albert Park in round one of the 2026 Formula One World Championship.
07 March 2026
Qualifying ✅
07 March 2026
Abandoned Lap ❌
Alex elects to return to the pit lane.
He is out of Q2 in P15.
07 March 2026
Last Attempt ➡️
Alex runs off the road at the Turn 1 exit as the session clock ticks down.
He has a fresh set of Soft Pirellis and will be one of the last runners to cross the line to set a time if he completes this cool lap.
07 March 2026
PIT to ALEX
Keep the driving exactly the same, doing a nice job.
Let's go. Let's go.
07 March 2026
Faster 📈
That’s a 1:20.941 for Alex as he sets a lap in the quiet period while others remain in the pits.
He’s P13 now with five minutes remaining.
07 March 2026
Tyre 🔀 Change
Fresh Softs for Alex this time as he visits the pit lane.
He’ll need to find speed as he sits P15 for the moment and 1.5s away from safety.
07 March 2026
Used Pirellis 🛞
Alex is pushing on old Softs and sets a 1:21.975 as a banker lap.
07 March 2026
Q2 Begins 🟢
Fifteen minutes of running now for Alex to see if he can make the top-10 shootout.
07 March 2026
Hello Q2 👋
Alex is through! That’s P13 in Q1.
He’ll be taking to Q2 soon.
07 March 2026
Final Run 🤞
A good improvement to 1:21.051 sees Albono in P13.
It should be enough unless others find a lot of pace…
07 March 2026
ALEX and PIT
ALEX: So are we boxing for new tyres?
PIT: No, stay out.
07 March 2026
Faster 👏
That’s a 1:21.481 for Albono.
Three minutes remain and he is P15.
07 March 2026
Lock Up 😖
A front left lock up at Turn 15 before starting a push lap might hurt Alex here, but he’s going quicker in the first sector…
07 March 2026
Let's Go 💪
The session resumes and Alex has a single-lap scrubbed set of Soft tyres equipped.
07 March 2026
In the Pit Lane 👉
Alex has joined the pit lane rush with the session restart coming in just under two minutes.
07 March 2026
Announcement 📣
Q1 WILL RESUME AT 16:19
07 March 2026
Time Remaining ⏲️
There are 7 minutes and 29 seconds remaining in the session for when the green flag comes out once the wreckage is cleared.
07 March 2026
Red Flag 🔴
VER is in the gravel at Turn 1 and the session stops.
07 March 2026
The Quali Look 📸
07 March 2026
P13 📊
More laps drop in and Alex is P13. That second lap was a 1:22.223 and did not see a time improvement.
He returns to the pit lane for now.
07 March 2026
Take ✌️
It’s a push-soft-push for Albono it seems on this Soft tyre set.
His first sector sees no improvement, however, so this might not be quicker.
07 March 2026
Lap 1 ✅
That’s a 1:21.802 for Alex.
He sits P4 at the moment with everyone else looking to set their laps.
07 March 2026
Q1 🟢
Qualifying begins. Alex is one of the first out there to set a time.
07 March 2026
Queuing Up 🚦
Alex is waiting to go out as the queue forms at pit exit.
07 March 2026
Ten Minutes to Go ⏳
Are you set for Q1?
It’s the first Qualifying session of the year in just 10 minutes.
Keep updated on Alex’s progress right here.
07 March 2026
FP3 ✅
07 March 2026
Chequered Flag 🏁
That’s the end of Free Practice with Alex completing a final lap with Soft tyres.
It’s a 1:21.664 for P17.
Time to look at the data to get set for Quali later this afternoon.
07 March 2026
Session Resumed 🟢
Just four minutes left on the clock of this delayed and interrupted session.
Alex is already at pit exit with a busy pit lane behind him.
07 March 2026
Red Flag 🔴
ANT has had a big crash with debris all over the track at Turn 3. He’s okay.
The red flag waves with 12 minutes to go.
There might be a few minutes left after the clean up, but there’s a lot of clean up to do.
07 March 2026
Back to Box 🅿️
Alex returns to the pit lane for the moment.
A tyre change for the pit crew to practise and he’s pushed back into the garage.
07 March 2026
ALEX to PIT
Can I get some help please with rear stability?
07 March 2026
The Saturday Look 📸
07 March 2026
Scare Survived 😅
Alex just set a 1:21.942 to reach P14 but then lost power as he slowed to allow traffic through.
He’s got the car going again, thankfully.
07 March 2026
ALEX to PIT
There’s no power.
No power at all.
It doesn’t work.
07 March 2026
Into The 22s 📉
The times tumble, and Alex sets a 1:22.589. He’s P15 for the time being.
07 March 2026
PIT to ALEX
Okay, BOT seven seconds ahead.
Go push.
07 March 2026
Lap One Complete ✅
That’s a 1:23.460 for P14 to kick off today.
07 March 2026
It's Busy! 📊
No surprise that almost every car has taken to the track after that delay.
Only STR remains in the pits as Alex goes for the first push lap of the day.
07 March 2026
Almost Good to Go 🟢
Session will resume at 13:11.
Alex is already in the pit lane waiting to get some laps in on the Medium tyre.
07 March 2026
Red Flag 🔴
That VSC has morphed to a red flag stoppage to allow the marshals time to clear the stranded car.
07 March 2026
Slow Start 🟡
There’s a Virtual Safety Car as the clock ticks past the 14-minute mark.
SAI pulled off at pit entry, while Alex hasn’t headed out still, along with eight other drivers.
07 March 2026
Green 🟢
We’re away at long last. That’s a 20-minute delay, but FP3 will remain at 60 minutes for an hour of learning.
Only three cars out on track so far, with Alex remaining in the garage.
07 March 2026
Delayed Again 🔔
Barrier repairs are the reason for this slowdown.
The estimated time of the session start is now 12:50 local time.
07 March 2026
An update 🗞️
“Estimated time of session start - 12:45 local time”
That’s in 16 minutes.
07 March 2026
FP3 🕰️
We’re scheduled to get started in five minutes, however there is a delay after an incident in an earlier race today.
“Start of Free Practice 3 will be delayed” is the only message we have for the moment.
We’ll update you when we know more.
07 March 2026
Coming Up: FP3 and Qualifying 👉
It’s the first day of competitive running for the season for Albono.
Qualifying will see the real initial pace of the 11 teams.
That’s a little later, though, with an hour of Free Practice running beginning in around 15 minutes.
We’ll guide you through everything Alex from both sessions right here.
07 March 2026
Saturday smiles with teammate Carlos Sainz 📸
06 March 2026
06 March 2026
Practice Stop ✋
Alex comes in and out to swap back to those Soft tyres, allowing the team to do a live pit stop.
Just in time, with the chequered flag flying to end the session.
06 March 2026
Final Moments ⏳
PER’s car has been recovered to allow the running to continue.
Alex has a few minutes left for a few more laps.
06 March 2026
Virtual Safety Car 🟡
PER has stopped at the side of the road to trigger a VSC.
06 March 2026
Adding More Mileage 📈
Alex continues learning the quirks of the FW48 as he circulates around Albert Park, reaching 25 laps so far, with six minutes remaining in FP2.
06 March 2026
Practising A Start 🚥
Back on that same set of Hard tyres for Alex, who stops at the end of the pit lane to do a practice start.
06 March 2026
A Soft Shot 📸
06 March 2026
In the Pits 🧰
Seven more laps added to Albono’s total and he returns to the garage.
06 March 2026
ALEX to PIT
It’s just… all over the place.
Christ, man.
06 March 2026
PIT to ALEX
Battery should be good. Keep the revs up. Good to open.
06 March 2026
Soft Lap Set ⏱
Alex sets a 1:21.847 as his first push lap on the red-walled Pirelli rubber.
That’s good enough for P12 for the moment.
06 March 2026
That 2026 Helmet 😮💨📸
06 March 2026
Softs Equipped 🔴
A quick turnaround for Alex, who is already touring Albert Park again, but now with Soft tyres.
06 March 2026
Box, box 🅿️
Ten laps in and Alex heads to the pit lane to assess the data.
06 March 2026
Dropping Into the 22s 💪
Alex has gone faster again with his 1:22.860 seeing him hit P14 as he gets used to the new car.
06 March 2026
Already Improving 📈
That’s 1:23.557 for P12. Alex already getting some laps in as we reach the 10-minute mark.
Radio chatter about the front tyres suggests there is more pace in the car, too.
06 March 2026
First Lap 👏
A 1:24.454 get Alex off the mark in FP2 with the hydraulics problem from this morning fixed.
06 March 2026
Straight to Work 👉
No time to waste for Alex, who is out on track with Hard tyres as most cars get to the circuit early.
06 March 2026
06 March 2026
Join Alex for FP2 🕰️
The second practice of 2026 begins in two hours.
06 March 2026
06 March 2026
Session Over 😖
The hydraulics have gone in the car to leave Alex stranded at the exit of Turn 10.
He’s out of the car and his session is done with 50 minutes of running complete and 23 laps concluded.
06 March 2026
Cool-Push-Cool-Push ⏯️
Alex is in the groove ready to start another push lap.
06 March 2026
🟢🟡🟢
A slight improvement, but a slower second sector sees Alex reach P15 with a 1:23.130.
06 March 2026
Out on Softs 🔴
A quick stop in the garage and Alex is already heading back to track, this time with Pirelli’s softest compound tyre.
06 March 2026
In the Pits ⚙️
Thirty minutes of running for Alex and 17 laps on the board before stopping back in the pit lane.
Encouraging early reliability for this weekend.
06 March 2026
PIT to ALEX
Box this lap. We’ll do a live stop.
06 March 2026
Into the 23s for No.23 ⏱️
There is time to find out there as Alex hits a 1:23.670.
He continues to circulate despite the previous radio message, with a cooldown lap to recharge his energy and then setting a 1:23.144.
Fifteen laps on these mediums so far!
06 March 2026
Close to Camera 📸
06 March 2026
PIT to ALEX
We’ll do one more push lap. One more push lap.
06 March 2026
Getting Quicker 💪
That’s a 1:24.436 for Albono 15 minutes into the session to sit P8.
There’s more in the tank as he starts to learn the FW48.
06 March 2026
The first Melbourne moment of 2026 for Alex
06 March 2026
1:27.316 📊
Radio messages suggest some technical teething problems on both sides of the microphone.
Alex continues on as best he can, and sets a 1:27.316 on his way around the circuit.
06 March 2026
First Push Lap ✅
Alex goes for his first attempt and sets a 1:29.230.
That’s well within his maximum, so expect that time to drop significantly over this hour.
06 March 2026
Green Again 🟢
Alex takes it easy as the VSC ends, taking a leisurely lap around Albert Park.
06 March 2026
VSC 🟡
PIA struggled with power, though he appears to have got going again, but LIN was stuck at the pit exit, triggering the first Virtual Safety Car of 2026.
06 March 2026
Queuing Up 🚦
Alex sits behind LEC in the pit lane as the cars make their way out to track.
Medium tyres are equipped.
06 March 2026
Talking Temperatures 🌡️
We’ve got a track temp of 34°C and an air temp of 20.5°C as we get set for this first session of 2026.
The drivers are just getting into their cars now as we wait for the green light.
06 March 2026
Welcome to Australia 🇦🇺
It’s been a long time since Alex was out on track for a Free Practice session, but today there are two!
2026 begins in earnest, and we’re going to bring you everything from Albono’s Melbourne weekend here from today until the chequered flag.
FP1 begins in 15 minutes. Are you ready?
06 March 2026
Alex arrviving to the paddock this morning to start 2026
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