Carlos and Alex preview season opener in Melbourne

Atlassian Williams F1 Team ready to start the new era at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix

Published

05 MAR 2026

Est. reading time

2 min

A new Formula 1 season begins in Melbourne as Atlassian Williams F1 Team arrives at Albert Park for the opening round of the 2026 championship.

After a demanding winter of development and preparation, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon are ready to get the year underway and begin building momentum for the long season ahead.

Carlos Sainz is eager to return to racing after an intense off-season of work with the team.

"It's exciting to be back in Melbourne for the first race of the season after an incredibly busy winter for the team. Bahrain gave us a base understanding of the car, and we've been working hard in the simulator and at the factory to make sure we're as prepared as possible for Melbourne. “We know there's lots of performance still to be unlocked over the coming races. I'm looking forward to getting the season underway!"

Alex Albon is also looking forward to returning to Albert Park and beginning the next chapter of the team’s progress.

"Melbourne is a great place to start the season and I'm looking forward to being back with the team as we kick off 2026. It's been a challenging offseason and we've been pouring over the data following Bahrain. “The focus this weekend will be on extracting performance with the new package and learning more about the new regs. It's a long season and it's about building momentum session by session and race by race."