George Russell took victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as Mercedes delivered a one-two in Melbourne, fending off an intense early fight with Ferrari that featured repeated lead changes.
Polesitter Russell briefly ceded the lead to Charles Leclerc off the line and came under pressure from Lewis Hamilton after the Ferraris, starting fourth and seventh, rocketed away at the start. Leclerc passed Russell into Turn One, sparking an extraordinary opening phase that saw seven lead changes between the two in the first nine laps as new-era energy deployment and racing tactics produced frantic wheel-to-wheel action.
Leclerc led at the end of that melee with Russell and Hamilton close behind, but the race pivoted on lap 11 when Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull stopped on track, triggering a Virtual Safety Car. Mercedes pitted both cars during the VSC — including Kimi Antonelli, who had slipped back from second on the grid early with deployment issues — while Ferrari stayed out.
A second brief VSC later, caused by Valtteri Bottas’ Cadillac stopping near the pit-lane entry, also saw Ferrari remain on track. The Scuderia’s cars extended their stints to laps 26 and 29 before switching tyres under green-flag conditions. Despite Ferrari’s fresher rubber, Mercedes’ pace on older tyres let Russell and Antonelli stay ahead without needing a second stop, securing the one-two.
“What Ferrari gave up was track position and they lost control of the race,” said Sky Sports F1’s Martin Brundle, calling that the decisive moment.
Russell finished 2.9 seconds clear of Antonelli, with Leclerc 15 seconds adrift of the lead and just ahead of Hamilton, who closed on his team-mate in the closing stages but could not overhaul him for a first podium in red this season. McLaren and Red Bull — seen as strong late last year — were off the pace in race trim, leaving Lando Norris and Max Verstappen to contest a distant fifth-place battle. Norris prevailed, while Verstappen recovered impressively from 20th on the grid to sixth; both made two stops.
Hadjar, who had run well from third on the grid, retired early with a mechanical issue. Home favourite Oscar Piastri did not start after crashing on the way to the grid, a bitter blow for the Australian.
All five British drivers in the 2026 field finished in the top eight and scored points. Haas’ Oliver Bearman was seventh, and 18-year-old debutant Arvid Lindblad capped a breakout weekend with eighth for Racing Bulls. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto was ninth; Pierre Gasly took tenth for Alpine. Nico Hulkenberg did not take the start on technical grounds.
‘Yoyo overtakes!’ — F1’s new rules deliver Russell vs Leclerc scrap epic
Drivers had warned during pre-season testing that the new cars and hybrid systems — a 50-50 split between internal combustion and electrical power — would complicate battery management and race strategy, making the opening rounds a learning curve. The frantic early laps in Melbourne confirmed that.
After Ferrari’s blistering start put Leclerc into first and Hamilton third on lap one, Russell re-passed Leclerc before Turn 11 to reclaim the lead. Leclerc used his energy deployment perfectly to counter and re-took the lead around the fast Turn Nine. The pair continued to swap places into lap eight when Russell dived inside at Turn Three, only for Leclerc to strike back six corners later. On lap nine Russell again dived into Turn One but locked up, allowing Leclerc to snatch the lead on the exit.
Russell described the opening as “kind of a race we were expecting — chaotic start, difficult to match the battery — yoyoing a bit with the overtakes. The closing speeds are so big with these new cars but it was mega.” He added he had been watching his mirrors and was surprised by Leclerc’s moves. Leclerc said the first part was “very tricky” given the uncertainty over energy and battery deployment on the straights, and while he was glad to emerge from the opening battle in front, he accepted third was the best Ferrari could manage by the finish.
Australian GP Result: Top 10
1) George Russell, Mercedes
2) Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
3) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
4) Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
5) Lando Norris, McLaren
6) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
7) Oliver Bearman, Haas
8) Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
9) Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi
10) Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Australian GP Result (selected)
1) George Russell — Mercedes — 1:23:06.801
2) Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes — +2.974
3) Charles Leclerc — Ferrari — +15.519
4) Lewis Hamilton — Ferrari — +16.144
5) Lando Norris — McLaren — +51.741
6) Max Verstappen — Red Bull — +54.617
7) Oliver Bearman — Haas — +1 lap
8) Arvid Lindblad — Racing Bulls — +1 lap
9) Gabriel Bortoleto — Audi — +1 lap
10) Pierre Gasly — Alpine — +1 lap
11) Esteban Ocon — Haas — +1 lap
12) Alex Albon — Williams — +1 lap
13) Liam Lawson — Racing Bulls — +1 lap
14) Franco Colapinto — Alpine — +2 laps
15) Carlos Sainz — Williams — +2 laps
16) Sergio Perez — Cadillac — +3 laps
Lance Stroll — Aston Martin — +15 laps
Fernando Alonso — Aston Martin — DNF
Valtteri Bottas — Cadillac — DNF
Isack Hadjar — Red Bull — DNF
Oscar Piastri — McLaren — DNS
Nico Hulkenberg — Audi — DNS
Formula 1 heads next to Shanghai for the first Sprint weekend of the 2026 season at the Chinese Grand Prix.