Five Things We Learned from the Australian GP

The season opener in Melbourne had everything: surprises, disappointments, shifting power dynamics – and plenty of drama. Here are the five key takeaways from the race at Albert Park.

VEGA Is Optiminal Esports’ Biggest Rival

Many expected another dominant season from Optiminal Esports in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships. But everyone forgot about VEGA.

The Italian newcomers made an immediate statement. Tom Oldenmenger secured a sensational second place in his very first VFC race, while teammate Mirco Mancini completed the result with P3.

Oldenmenger was, together with polesitter Rouven Meschede, the fastest driver on track. Mancini benefited from a costly mistake by Sven Schubert, who stayed out one lap too long behind the Safety Car before pitting.

VEGA made one thing clear: they are here to compete — and Optiminal now have serious opposition from day one.

A Day to Forget for Falkenhain

Michael Falkenhain arrived in Melbourne as one of the pre-race favorites. His practice pace was outstanding, and long runs looked promising.

Race day, however, told a different story. FPS issues plagued the Falcon driver, preventing him from even reaching Q2. He qualified only P10 — nearly 1.5 seconds slower than his practice best, a time that not even Meschede could beat on his pole lap.

The drama continued at the start with a disastrous launch that dropped Falkenhain to the back of the field. He recovered impressively to finish P6, but it was far from the result he had hoped for.

Total Disaster for Horizon Motorsport

Horizon Motorsport entered Australia as a dark horse. Qualifying seemed to confirm that status: Jan Wiegels set the fastest time in Q1, and returning driver Fabian Szyrzik secured a front-row start.

But from the race start onward, everything went wrong.

Szyrzik misjudged Turn 1, collided with Sven Schubert, and spun himself. Two laps later, under Safety Car conditions, he failed to spot the stranded Alvin Tran and tore off his front wheel — race over, zero points.

Wiegels’ race unraveled after the pit stops following contact with Daniel Scott, costing him his front wing. Further incidents followed, and Horizon left Melbourne with a DNF, P15, and no points.

A nightmare start — but Malaysia offers redemption.

A Tough Season Ahead for Razor GP

2025 was Razor GP’s most successful season in team history. That’s why their winter direction surprised many. Instead of building on last year’s concept, Razor chose a new development philosophy aimed at long-term gains throughout 2026.

Australia showed how challenging that path may be.

Bastian Paisler endured one of his worst qualifying sessions in VFC history, lining up on the second-to-last row. Fabian Walter’s Q2 appearance almost felt like a small miracle. Once everyone ran the same compound in Q2, the performance gap became obvious.

Both drivers fought back strongly in the race. Paisler even ran P4 at one stage, and Walter capitalized on a Safety Car despite being one lap down earlier. They eventually finished P9 and P10.

It will be a long road back — but if anyone knows how to maximize limited potential, it’s Paisler and Walter.

Melbourne Delivers — Once Again

Albert Park traditionally hosts the VFC season opener — and once again, it delivered.

Intense battles across the field, strategic variety, Safety Car drama, and standout performances made for a thrilling

start to 2026.

The grid looks closer than ever, the level is high — and the new season promises great things.

Thank you, Melbourne. Next stop: Sepang. 🇲🇾🏁