Circuit Maker 2026

Watching Formula 1 is not for the faint-hearted. A driver chooses you the way cats choose their owners and then you spend every race weekend with your heart in your mouth as the circus on wheels descends on another city and the drivers take to the circuit for practice, qualifying and the race.

Some lucky fans have drivers who win races and may even win a driver’s championship, but with 22 drivers on the track there is plenty of room for heartache and disappointment. Even the winners sometimes crash their cars or have technical failures or at the end of a season change teams and can go from hero to zero faster than a pitstop.

There are 24 races in a season so fans can spend many hours devoted to following F1 and in Australia that means many stupid o’clock stay-ups or wake-ups to watch most of the races. Then aside from the actual race weekend there are myriad podcasts with all manner of experts including former drivers, broadcasters, comedians and fans presenting their words of wisdom and predictions, oh so many predictions, to anyone who cares to listen.

To ensure that I wisely use the time devoted to following F1, I have chosen this year to stitch and bead the race circuits, publishing each one during the week of the race. My interpretation of each circuit will draw from the local landscape, team colours and the vibe.

The first race of the year is on at Albert Park, Melbourne, with Practice 1 and Practice 2 on Friday 6 March (Harry Styles Day for those who participate), Practice 3 and Qualifying on Saturday 7 March and the Race on Sunday 8 March at 1500.

I will be cheering for hometown hero Oscar Piastri. He is a polite cat.