– When Arvid Lindblad made his Formula 1 debut at the start of the 2026 season in Melbourne, George Russell in the Mercedes came out on top in the end. But who was actually the winning driver at the Formula 1 debut of the other 21 regular drivers?
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We answer exactly this question in our photo gallery. We look back at the debut races in the top class of Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Nico Hülkenberg and others and reveal who stood at the very top of the podium in each case.
There are quite a few exciting stories. For example, at Verstappen’s debut at the 2015 season opener in Australia, it was Hamilton who won, the same Hamilton with whom Verstappen would engage in a fierce battle for the 2021 World Championship six years later.
The story of Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel is also exciting. When the Monegasque made his Formula 1 debut for Sauber at the 2018 season opener in Melbourne, Vettel won for Ferrari – and just twelve months later, the two were teammates at Scuderia.
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Photo gallery: Who won at the debut of the current Formula 1 drivers
Overall, Sebastian Vettel appears three times in our photo gallery. Only the name Max Verstappen appears more often. The Dutchman won a total of four debut races of drivers from the 2026 Formula 1 season starting field.
Meanwhile, you have to go back the furthest with Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard made his debut in the top class at the 2001 season opener – a quarter of a century before Arvid Lindblad, the only rookie in the current season.
Another interesting side note is that “only” 17 of the 22 drivers made their debut at a season opener. Five drivers entered Formula 1 during an ongoing season. The most recent case was Franco Colapinto, who replaced Logan Sargeant in the Williams from the 2024 Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
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