The countdown has begun: at 2:30 a.m. on Friday night (CET), the 2026 Formula 1 season will officially kick off with the first practice session in Australia. This championship is still full of uncertainties due to the new and complex technical regulations, which are raising questions not only about who will become the next world champion, but also about which driver will claim victory in the opening race of the season in Melbourne.
One person who has expressed no doubt about the matter is former McLaren driver David Coulthard, who is confident that this weekend’s race could be won by a Woking team driver. However, in this case, it won’t be the reigning world champion Lando Norris but rather his teammate Oscar Piastri. According to the Scottish ex-F1 star, such a victory would carry significant historical importance.
Piastri could make Australian history
Born in the city hosting this weekend’s race, Piastri would become the first Australian ever to win his home Grand Prix. This is a milestone no previous world champion has achieved, including Alan Jones (the Australia GP was included in the championship after another Australian world champion, Jack Brabham, had retired) or other notable Australian drivers such as Mark Webber and Daniel Ricciardo.
“I’m going straight for the home hero, I’m backing Oscar Piastri for the win,” Coulthard said on the Up to Speed podcast. “Australia hasn’t had this in a long time, if ever. Webber didn’t manage it, Daniel Ricciardo didn’t manage it either. It’s something that’s been needed for a long time.”
As Oscar Piastri carries the hopes of a nation into the 2026 Australian GP, David Coulthard’s prediction highlights just how much is at stake for the young McLaren driver. Whether he can overcome the historical “home curse” and the technical hurdles of the new regulations will be the defining story of the season opener in Melbourne.
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