Written by Intern Rency Gomes ||Team Allycaral
George Russell won the season-opening 2026 Australian Grand Prix, delivering a strong start to his Formula 1 title campaign as Mercedes secured a commanding one-two finish with rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli in second place.
The race began with an intense duel between Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Leclerc overtook Russell at Turn One and the two drivers exchanged the lead multiple times during the opening laps in a thrilling contest shaped by Formula 1’s new power-unit regulations and energy deployment systems.
Leclerc briefly held the lead ahead of Russell and teammate Lewis Hamilton after a dramatic start in Melbourne.
The race turned on lap 11 when Isack Hadjar retired his Red Bull, triggering a Virtual Safety Car (VSC). Mercedes immediately brought both Russell and Antonelli into the pits, while Ferrari chose not to pit either Leclerc or Hamilton.
Ferrari also skipped a second VSC opportunity later in the race when Valtteri Bottas stopped his Cadillac near the pit entry. This decision ultimately cost Ferrari track position and allowed Mercedes to control the race
Russell maintained his lead comfortably and finished 2.9 seconds ahead of Antonelli, while Leclerc finished third, about 15 seconds behind the winning Mercedes. Hamilton came close to his teammate in the closing laps but settled for fourth place, narrowly missing a podium in his Ferrari debut season.
Behind the top four, reigning world champion Lando Norris finished fifth for McLaren, holding off a strong recovery drive from Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who climbed from 20th on the grid to finish sixth.
Oliver Bearman finished seventh for Haas.
18-year-old debutant Arvid Lindblad impressed with eighth place for Racing Bulls.
Gabriel Bortoleto secured ninth for Audi.
Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten for Alpine.
Local favourite Oscar Piastri suffered heartbreak before the race even began, crashing his McLaren on the way to the grid and failing to start his home Grand Prix.
Top 10 Finishers – 2026 Australian Grand Prix:
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
The Formula 1 2026 season continues next weekend with the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, which will also host the first Sprint weekend of the year.
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