Lando Norris, McLaren, Bahrain, 2026 — Photo: © IMAGO

Australian Grand Prix

Lando Norris F1 title defence gets off to worst possible start at Australian Grand Prix

F1's newest champion suffered an early exit

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Friday 6 March 2026 03:21 Updated: 03:42

McLaren's reigning F1 champion Lando Norris has been ruled out of the first practice session of the 2026 campaign at this weekend's Australian Grand Prix.

The 26-year-old returned to Albert Park Circuit with the 2025 drivers' title to his name, but with 25 minutes still left on the clock in FP1 in Melbourne, he was ruled out of the session after suffering a gearbox issue on his new McLaren.

McLaren are also the reigning constructors' champions but have spent the pre-season tempering expectations over the competitiveness and reliability of their new MCL40, something that was on full show in Melbourne on Friday when both Norris and his home hero team-mate Oscar Piastri reported issues over team radio.

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Two-time champion Fernando Alonso was also ruled out of FP1 before even taking to the track, with Aston Martin finding yet another power unit related issue on his AMR26.

The Honda mechanics were unsurprisingly kept busy on Friday as Aston Martin are expected to deliver a double DNF in Sunday's main event due to the vibrations from the Honda engine into the chassis, which Alonso and Stroll both fear could leave them with permanent nerve damage.

McLaren take 'precautionary measure' after Norris gearbox issue

After the news of Norris' early retirement from FP1 hit the Sky Sports F1 broadcast, pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz revealed: "They've been having some gearbox related issues in the session, they thought they could make it through but McLaren have decided that as a precautionary measure, they have decided to change the gearbox, check it over, find out exactly what's gone wrong, and make sure they don't compromise the vital FP2."

With FP2 set to get under way later on Friday at 4pm AEDT (5am GMT), Norris headed back to McLaren hospitality, where he was snapped by the paddock cameras looking unsurprisingly frustrated after his early exit from the session.

It was less than an ideal start for neither Norris nor McLaren at the first round of the new championship, even though teething issues were to be expected after the chassis and power unit regulations were given a comprehensive overhaul for 2026 and beyond.

Piastri was struck by a problem early on in FP1, experiencing what Kravitz believed to be a software issue, with the Aussie racer having been heard saying over team radio at the start of FP1: "I'm idling but I've got no throttle."

His complaints were then backed up by a similar worrying message from his champion team-mate Norris, who could be heard saying: "Downshifts are shocking, all shifts. Something doesn't feel right," way before he was forced to pull out of the session.

The first practice session of the season could be a sign of things to come this weekend as multiple teams were struck by issues, including fellow Mercedes customer team Williams.

With 11 minutes left to go in the first practice session of the weekend, another technical issue cropped up for Alex Albon, who stopped on track having lost power steering on his Williams.

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