Australian Athletes Shine on the Global Stage

IndyCar – Arlington

Will Power has turned around his subdued beginning to the 2026 IndyCar season, achieving his first podium with Andretti Global at the Grand Prix of Arlington.

Commencing from fourth position, Power swiftly ascended to third by overtaking Pato O’Ward and positioned himself behind the frontrunners, Marcus Ericsson and Alex Palou, in the initial laps.

Power took the lead when Ericsson and Palou opted to pit together on Lap 16, choosing to extend their stint on the soft tyres while Power continued on, enacting an alternate strategy.

He made his first pit stop on Lap 22, leaving him with a comfortable gap over Louis Foster, re-entering the competition in sixth place as he committed to a two-stop strategy, unlike the majority of the grid who opted for three.

Power regained the front later on before executing his final pit stop with 25 laps left. This strategy reshuffled the standings, with Kyle Kirkwood taking the lead ahead of Palou and Ericsson, leaving Power to rejoin further down the order.

Following the final pit sequence, Power climbed back into podium contention and ultimately secured third place, finishing three and a half seconds behind the race winner, Kirkwood, and Palou in second.

This result marked Power’s inaugural IndyCar podium with a team other than Team Penske since April 2008 when he clinched victory at the Grand Prix of Long Beach with KV Racing.

Next on Power’s agenda is the Grand Prix of Alabama on 28-29 March, where he has moved into a tie for 11th place in the Drivers’ Standings with 59 points.

Indy NXT – Arlington

The Grand Prix of Arlington witnessed a thrilling second half as multiple car incidents with 16 minutes remaining turned the session into an exciting sprint to the finish.

For the Australians involved, Lochie Hughes achieved a commendable top-five finish, while Jack Beeton ended in 15th place, and Nicolas Stati finished 21st, hindered by a failed fuel pump despite making a push for the top 10.

Beeton, who had shown promising speed in practice and qualifying with the third-fastest laps, suffered an unfortunate penalty early in the race that pushed him to the back of the field. However, he managed to recover seven positions in the final two laps to improve his result.

Hughes had a solid performance in qualifying, recording the fourth-fastest time in his group with a lap of 1:39.474, while Stati’s time of 1:40.052 secured him seventh place.

This performance propelled Hughes into fourth in the Drivers’ Standings with 60 points, while Beeton sits 14th on 34 points, and Stati rounds out the top 20 with 23 points.

The next opportunity for these three drivers to bolster their points tally will be at the Grand Prix of Alabama on 28-29 March.

Spanish Winter Championship – Aragón

The Spanish Winter Championship concluded at MotorLand Aragón, with Gianmarco Pradel and Patrick Heuzenroeder ending the series on a high note.

Both competitors entered the final round following strong performances in the second round, keen to maintain their impressive momentum.

The MP Motorsport driver started Race 1 with an 8th place finish ahead of the Sprint Race. Following a challenging qualifying session, Pradel rallied to secure victory in the Sprint Race.

Heuzenroeder earned a sixth-place result in Race 1 with Campos Racing but struggled in both the Sprint and the second feature race, although he is gearing up for a big 2026 following his Formula 3 debut at the Australian Grand Prix.

Pradel added to his triumphant weekend by finishing second in the second feature race, adding another 18 points to his tally and positioning himself sixth in the Drivers’ Standings with 61 points.

Heuzenroeder wrapped up the Championship in ninth place with 31 points.

GT4 Winter Series – Barcelona

McLaren GT3 Junior Driver Jayden Kelly competed in the final round of the GT4 Winter Series at Barcelona with Greystone GT.

Kelly secured the seventh-fastest time in Qualifying 2 and third in the Pro/Am category, setting the #17 McLaren Artura GT4 up for a solid race start.

Alongside co-driver Mark Kempster, both drivers found success with fourth-place finishes in their respective solo races.

During the joint race session, they both finished within the top five in Pro/Am, ultimately crossing the line in 17th overall.

Formula Winter Series – Barcelona

The final round of the Formula Winter Series took place at the Circuit de Catalunya with strong performances from the competitors.

George Proudford-Nalder began the weekend positively, achieving two top-10 results in qualifying, while AU4 Champion Noah Killion had an inconsistent qualifying, improving from 26th to 17th in each session.

Proudford-Nalder excelled in Race 1, launching from 10th to finish fourth. Unfortunately, Killion was unable to classify after spinning off track.

Proudford-Nalder improved further in the reverse grid race, claiming a podium finish in third place for AKM Motorsport. Killion completed the session, finishing 23rd in the penultimate race of the championship.

Both drivers concluded the weekend positively, with Proudford-Nalder completing a series of top-10 finishes, this time finishing sixth overall.

Looking ahead, Proudford-Nalder will make his mark in the UK’s renowned British F4 Championship throughout the year, while Killion continues his journey in Formula 4 with US Racing in 2026.

Formula 1 – Shanghai

Oscar Piastri faced a disappointing conclusion to his weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix, unable to start the race despite displaying promising speed earlier on.

The McLaren driver qualified fifth at the Shanghai International Circuit and appeared set for a strong points finish after a solid sprint race, where he finished sixth amidst a fierce midfield battle.

Unfortunately, his race ended before it even began. Upon arriving at the grid, a technical fault compelled the team to tow the car back to the pit, thereby ruling the Australian out before the action commenced.

This non-start capped a challenging period for Piastri, who had also been unable to take the start during his home Australian Grand Prix earlier this season.

While it marked another missed opportunity to score points, Piastri’s pace throughout the weekend hinted at the potential for much better results once McLaren can deliver a trouble-free race.