Chaos in Melbourne as early technical problems hit several cars in FP1

The first driver to run into trouble was Oscar Piastri, who reported a loss of power and initially looked set to stop out on track before managing to nurse his MCL40 back to the pits.

A similar story for Lando Norris, who described the downshifts as “shocking”, though he too was able to bring the car safely back to the garage. McLaren later confirmed to GPblog that Norris' car has been hit by gearbox-related problems, with the team has opted to stop the car as a precaution while work is carried out in the garage.

More problems also struck rookie Arvid Lindblad, whose car came to a halt in the pit lane and had to be pushed back to the garage by mechanics.

Aston Martin has uncovered a problem on Fernando Alonso’s AMR26 that will keep him out of FP1, the Silverstone-based outfit confirmed, meaning the two-time world champion’s 2026 season begins on the back foot before he has even completed a lap.

The setback follows comments from Adrian Newey on Thursday, when the legendary designer sent shockwaves through the paddock by revealing that severe vibrations coming from the chassis had been preventing the drivers from running for extended periods, even warning that it could potentially lead to permanent nerve damage in their hands.