9 March 2026 16:15 (UTC)
Aussie snacks, a day at the beach, and Oscar’s very own grandstand: Behind the scenes in Melbourne
Allow us to take you behind the scenes of the Australian Grand Prix and deep into the paddock, with our regular post-race wrap-up, featuring our favourite moments from across the weekend. Covering all the action you might have missed, we'll explore everything from the outfits that caught our attention, to the strongest snaps and the standout quotes.
F1’s new era officially started in Melbourne, as we got a first taste of our sport’s new normal. Albert Park hosted a very busy opening weekend, in which we learnt a lot about the new rules and our new car. On track, it was a difficult first round for home hero Oscar, who unfortunately crashed on his reconnaissance lap to the grid, but Lando worked hard to hold off Max Verstappen for fifth, securing some important points and capturing some vital data.
Away from the track, Australia provided all of the excitement we’ve come to expect from F1’s season opener, as Melbourne’s passionate home crowd packed out Albert Park in support of Oscar, Lando, and the team, delivering memorable moments throughout the weekend. Here's what caught our attention...
“Glad to get started again?”
“You betcha.”
A conversation heard throughout the paddock and around the McLaren Factory often over the past week, as excitement ramped up for the opening round of the 2026 Formula 1 season, 91 days on from 2025’s dramatic decider in Abu Dhabi.
The first race weekend of any new season always has a magical feel to it. Every emotion is heightened: Excitement, nerves, joy, intrigue. Even the most monotonous of tasks is amped up, laced with a thrill and an edge typically reserved for a pivotal overtake or a Qualifying lap.
Throughout the weekend, you’ll have seen this on the faces of our team. For all their focus and determination, in the rare moments of respite, you can’t help but smile. Our drivers are no different, and this image of Lando appropriately summarised the mood. The Australian Grand Prix wasn’t perfect, and there’s plenty of work to be done, but boy, are we glad to be back.
Across four Grands Prix in Melbourne, Oscar has cemented his place in the hearts of the Albert Park faithful at his home race in Australia. For this year’s Grand Prix, located just a stone’s throw away from the suburb of Brighton where he grew up, Oscar announced plans to have his very own grandstand.
Positioned on the main straight, opposite the pit lane, fans packed out the grandstand, creating a sea of green and papaya, combining the colours of our team with those of Oscar’s homeland.
Australian support is among the most passionate on the calendar. For long periods of the year, dedicated Aussie fans brave the unsociable hours, staying up late or waking early to watch the sessions. Enjoying the luxury of a race taking place both in their time zone and on their doorstep, fans showed up in their numbers to support their home hero, bringing as many cardboard cutouts as they could carry. And while the result sadly didn’t go his way, the good cheer for Oscar remained feverish throughout the entire weekend.
To celebrate the launch of our new partnership with PUMA, we teamed up to host an Australian Grand Prix pop-up in Melbourne, at the West Beach Pavilion, Ignition Beach, just a short walk from the circuit.
The six-day-long event offered a friendly, accessible space for fans to meet and enjoy all the action, with a large screen offering live coverage of Free Practice, Qualifying and the race.
Fans could also explore the papaya-themed deck, get up close and personal with the MCL40 show car, pick up the latest PUMA x McLaren Racing replica kit and fan wear, set their fastest lap on our race simulators, and enjoy a host of other family-friendly activities.
Official Event Partner, Mastercard, were with us on site, offering fans a range of Priceless Experiences, including access to a dedicated Priceless lounge within the hospitality zone and a special photo opportunity with the 2025 Constructors’ Championship trophy.
It was a hugely enjoyable six days and we loved meeting so many of our fans from Down Under. What’s more, Oscar packed up his bucket and spade and joined us down at the beach for a meet and greet with his home fans, taking the opportunity to sign some McLaren merch, snap some selfies, and get to know you all a little better.
No Australian Grand Prix would be complete without some Aussie snacks. Yet again, the team were fuelled by some delicious fresh baked lamingtons, gifted to us so kindly by Oscar’s grandma.
Wanting to pass on some generosity of our own, our team headed down to the local shops and cleared the shelves of Tim Tams. Buying up every kind we could get our hands on - original, double coated, chewy caramel, you name it. We asked Lando and Oscar to sign a few of the packs, stuffed them into our TUMI backpacks and took them to the Melbourne Walk, handing them out to some hungry F1 fans.
Glad to see that you all got the memo.
There are a select few races on the calendar where we grant a special exception and permit colours other than papaya. Australia is one of those, encouraging fans to wear as much green as they can get their hands on.
You did us proud, finding creative ways to combine the finest green pieces from your wardrobe with our traditional papaya. The best way to achieve this, though, of course, was with our annual Australian Grand Prix cap.
“Thank you to fans for their support this weekend, it’s been amazing, and I’m sad to not have been able to race in front of them."
Oscar’s homecoming was admittedly a tough one, with the Australian unable to take the starting grid, following a crash on on his reconnaissance lap to the grid. While disappointed that he was unable to race in front of his home crowd, he was still hugely grateful for the “amazing’ support he had received throughout the rest of the weekend.
We're already counting down the days until we can visit you again, Melbourne.
We're straight back at it, with the team boarding a flight from Melbourne to Shanghai as we speak, ahead of this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix. It's our first Sprint weekend of the season, so you'll have plenty of racing to get stuck into. We'll spend the next few days diving into the data before we're back on track for FP1 this Friday.
