Between curiosities and surprises in the Australian GP: Lewis Hamilton’s “Max” cow and the mirrors lost by the Cadillac Formula 1 Team
Strange things have happened in Australia. What is certain is that the Melbourne weekend said one thing clear: Mercedes is back. And Toto Wolff is more than aware of this. The Austrian team principal welcomed the results of the qualifications showing off that classic unmistakable smile of someone who already seems to know how it will end. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli signed a 1-2 in qualifying and also in the race, a result that has not been seen at Mercedes for some time (more precisely since 2021) and which projects the Silver Arrows as the (almost absolute) favorites of the season.
Saturday risked getting complicated when Antonelli drove his W17 into the wall during free practice three. The Brackley team worked extraordinarily to get the car back on its feet, and the young Italian managed to bring home a good second position. There Russell-Antonelli double it is the most eloquent sign of how much this regulatory update may have favored the German team.
It had been years, in fact, since we had seen one Toto Wolff so lively, so smiling, so mischievous in his gaze. A true “meme” face, undoubtedly destined to remain in the 2026 annal.
The Cadillac mirrors
It is necessary to recall a particularly illustrious old superstition, dating back to the time of the ancient Romans: that according to which, by breaking a mirror, you get seven years of bad luck. Well, the Cadillac, making its debut in the world championship, lost two (of mirrors) during the first free practice session. The right one with Perez, the left one with Bottas. Coincidence or not, the American team finished qualifying in 18th and 19th position, and the race with a DNF and last place overall. A debut to quickly forget. Let’s hope it doesn’t take seven years to overturn the predictions.
Hamilton and the cow «Max»
On the sidelines of the Australian weekend, Lewis Hamilton provided one of the most unexpected and fun moments. On Friday 6 March, during an event, he was asked to tell a bizarre episode related to his idea of setting up a small personal farm. Needless to say, the anecdote exceeded expectations. And by far. Yes, because, apparently, Hamilton would have adopted a cow. And the name of the animal would be a rather renowned name in the world of Formula 1: Max. Does it remind you of anyone? And why a certain Verstappen?
«I didn’t choose the name, I inherited it»explained the seven-time world champion. «I also have another cow called Hombre». A revelation that drew more than a few laughs, and which tells a lot about the involuntary humor of certain bizarre coincidences.
The misadventures of Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll experienced an Australian GP sui generis (to put it mildly). After the tragicomic vicissitudes of the previous days, in which the car was considered doomed in terms of performance and even dangerous for anyone who drove it, Aston Martin chose to transform the race into a data collection session, to try to rise from the ashes. An apparent retirement and then a return to the track. Long pit stops for both drivers. The result, in terms of ranking, was merciless: more than ten laps behind the leaders, a gap that hadn’t been recorded for some time. A choice that is certainly already looking towards the next matches, and which tells of a team still looking for a direction and its definitive shape. In any case, if this is the first Formula 1 weekend, and these are the oddities, it will be a 2026 in which we will have fun.
