The opening event of the 2026 campaign was a thrilling one, as plenty of chaos happened in the Australian Grand Prix. We saw the return of the speed of Mercedes, as George Russell overcame a slow start to grab the victory, while teammate Kimi Antonelli finished second.

The debut of F1's new regulations at the season opener in Australia raised questions, and ESPN answers the five biggest ahead of Sunday's Chinese GP.

Stewards penalized Esteban Ocon after a Turn 2 collision with Franco Colapinto during the Australian Grand Prix sent both cars spinning off track.

McLaren has not taken part in Formula 1's Chinese Grand Prix as both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri hit pre-race trouble

McLaren suffered its first double ‘did not start’ in two decades at Shanghai

F1 standings after Chinese GP race as Kimi Antonelli closes gap to George Russell - F1’s new era moves on to the Shanghai International Circuit for the first sprint weekend in 2026

Comment: The decision to cancel races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia next month will cost the sport around £100m – but F1’s strong financial footing means the impact will be kept to a minimum

F1 Academy wants to nurture and develop female drivers who can compete at motorsport’s top level