Episode 169: New Regs, Same Struggles

About this episode

The episode covers the chaotic start of the 2026 F1 season at the Australian Grand Prix, including race recaps and standout performances.

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the paddocks! PGP race recaps are officially back as we kick off the 2026 season in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix. Grab your favorite drink and snack as we break down everything that happened while F1 was down under. From new qualifying rules and the Turn 6 “In Her Corner” tribute honoring Hannah Schmitz and Laura Mueller, to Aston Martin’s *very* rough start to the season. We also get into practice drama, Max’s shocking Q1 crash, the absolute chaos of qualifying, and the wild race that followed. We’re also talking standout moments from the weekend, the Mercedes dominance that brought George to the top step, Kimi’s incredible performance, Charles bringing Ferrari back to the podium, and Max charging from P20 to P6 for Driver of the Day. And of course, we wrap things up with our predictions for the next race as F1 heads to Shanghai for the first sprint weekend of the season. Buckle up besties — 2026 is already off to a chaotic start! Hosted by Amy, Melissa and Rachel.Follow us → @paddockgirlspodcast#F1Podcast #PaddockGirlsPodcast #F12026 #Winter #Formula1 #MotorsportTalk #Racing #charlesleclerc #maxverstappen #redbull #cadillac #audi…

People in this episode

Hosts: Amy, Melissa, Rachel

Topics covered

• F1 race recap
• Australian Grand Prix
• qualifying rules
• driver performances
• season predictions
• Formula 1

Keywords

• F1
• Australian Grand Prix
• qualifying
• Max Verstappen
• George Russell
• Kimi Raikkonen
• Charles Leclerc
• 2026 season
• race recap

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Melbourne, Shanghai

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