Melbourne: George Russell claimed victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix 2026, leading teammate Kimi Antonelli to a commanding one-two finish for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team after a tense strategic battle with Scuderia Ferrari.
The opening race of the new Formula One World Championship season delivered drama, strategy twists and strong performances, with Mercedes’ one-stop strategy ultimately proving decisive in Melbourne.
The race burst into life at the start when Charles Leclerc launched a brilliant move from fourth on the grid to snatch the lead from Russell. The two drivers traded positions over the opening laps as Ferrari briefly looked set to challenge Mercedes for the win.
The race strategy soon became complicated when a Virtual Safety Car was triggered after Isack Hadjar pulled off the track for Red Bull Racing. Both Mercedes drivers took advantage of the caution to make their pit stops, while Ferrari opted to keep Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton out on track.
A second Virtual Safety Car followed after Valtteri Bottas retired his Cadillac Formula One Team car, once again allowing Ferrari to stay out longer. When the Scuderia finally made their pit stops later in the race, Russell and Antonelli moved back into the lead.
The key question then became whether Mercedes could stretch their tyres to the end. Despite running on ageing rubber, the Silver Arrows managed their pace effectively, while Ferrari failed to close the gap enough to force another pit stop.
Russell eventually crossed the finish line 2.9 seconds ahead of Antonelli to claim the sixth victory of his Formula 1 career and give Mercedes a dream start to the 2026 campaign.
Leclerc and Hamilton finished third and fourth respectively for Ferrari, while reigning world champion Lando Norris placed fifth for McLaren.
The McLaren driver was the team’s only finisher after local favourite Oscar Piastri spun off the track while heading to the grid before the race began, ruling him out of his home Grand Prix.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen delivered one of the standout drives of the race. The Red Bull star climbed from 20th on the grid to finish sixth, especially impressive after Hadjar’s earlier retirement left him as the team’s only car in the race.
Ollie Bearman secured seventh place for Haas F1 Team, while rookie Arvid Lindblad impressed on his Formula 1 debut by finishing eighth for Racing Bulls.
Gabriel Bortoleto took ninth in a significant race for Audi Formula One Team as the manufacturer competed in its first race as a works outfit. Pierre Gasly completed the top ten for Alpine F1 Team.
Just outside the points were Esteban Ocon in 11th for Haas, Alex Albon in 12th for Williams Racing and Liam Lawson in 13th for Racing Bulls.
Further down the order, Franco Colapinto finished 14th for Alpine, while Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez rounded out the classification. Perez’s finish marked a milestone moment as Cadillac completed its maiden Formula 1 race.
There were several retirements and non-starters during the event. Both Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso experienced issues for Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team before briefly rejoining the race, while Bottas and Hadjar did not finish. Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg also failed to start due to a technical issue before the race began.
With Russell taking maximum points and Mercedes showing strong early pace, the 2026 Formula One season has begun with the Silver Arrows firmly setting the benchmark for their rivals.
Source: Formula 1, ESPN
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