Australian Grand Prix: George Russell leads Mercedes one-two in season opener - full results
George Russell fended off his teammate and the hard-charging Ferraris to take the chequered flag after an exhilerating start to the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Russell emerged victorious after an action-packed race that showcased the very best of the new regulations, which enabled plenty of overtaking from lights to flag.
While Mercedes proved to have the advantage around Albert Park, Ferrari’s acceleration off the start and race pace will, by all accounts, keep the Brackley outfit on their toes in the opening rounds.
Leclerc, who started from fourth on the grid, had an electric start to fly past Hadjar, Antonelli and Russell - and was in first by the time they reached turn one.
As Antonelli got bogged down into turn one, rookie Arvid Lindblad made the most of a good start to challenge Hadjar for fourth, eventually settling down behind Antonelli in sixth.
In the opening laps, Leclerc and Russell exchanged blows for the lead, with Hamilton watching them from third; meanwhile Max Verstappen climbed from 20th up to the top 10 by lap eight.
On lap 11, Red Bull debutant Hadjar lost power from fourth on the grid and pulled over to retire, sparking a virtual safety car as everyone dived into the pits for new tyres - except for the two Ferraris, Lindblad, Verstappen and Haas driver Ollie Bearman, who stayed out.
Valtteri Bottas retired on lap 18 in Cadillac’s first F1 race, stopping at the entrance to the pit lane. That group pitted just in time for fresh rubber before the pit lane was closed, excluding the Scuderia duo once again. It was a strategy blunder that hurt Ferrari dearly, and perhaps even cost them the win.
Leclerc entered the pits on lap 26, emerging in fourth behind the two Mercedes. Two laps later, Russell passed Hamilton for the lead, and the seven-time champion then pitted himself, promoting the Monagasque to third. The pair then started hunting down the Silver Arrows, while Russell suggested that despite the early tyre change, a one-stop strategy was still on the cards.
By lap 36, others had committed to two stops, including last year’s title contenders Norris and Verstappen.
As the final 10 laps ticked away, Ferrari struggled to reel in the Mercedes duo, while Verstappen battled away with Norris for fifth place - with the Briton coming out on top.
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri and Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg did not start the Grand Prix; home race hero Piastri crashed on his way to the grid, while Hulkenberg’s car encountered a technical issue.
As expected, both Aston Martins retired mid-way through the race, with the team experiencing a myriad of problems that kept them in the garage for a good portion of the weekend.
The final finishing order was as follows:
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. Ollie Bearman - Haas
8. Arvid Lindblad - Racing Bulls
9. Gabriel Bortoletto - Audi
10. Pierre Gasly - Alpine
11. Esteban Ocon - Haas
12. Alex Albon - WIlliams
13. Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls
14. Franco Colapinto - Alpine
15. Carlos Sainz - Williams
16. Sergio Perez - Cadillac
17. Lance Stroll - Aston Martin
18. Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin (DNF)
19. Valtteri Bottas - Cadillac (DNF)
20. Isack Hadjar - Red Bull (DNF)
21. Oscar Piastri - McLaren (DNS)
22. Nico Hulkenberg - Audi (DNS)