Fraser MasefieldGeorge Russell won an intriguing season opening Australian Grand Prix from Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – the first race of F1’s new hybrid era.
Lewis Hamilton gave the race order a symmetrical look in finishing fourth from current champion Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and the British duo of Oliver Bearman and Arvid Lindblad.
Gabriel Bortoleto and Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten but it was home race heartbreak for Oscar Piastri, who bizarrely crashed out on his reconnaissance lap to the grid.
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“That wasn’t a straightforward afternoon, but this win feels very sweet! Congratulations to the whole team; they’ve done an incredible job and this victory is for them,” commented Russell on the Mercedes press release.
Listen in to the first cooldown room of the new F1 season! 🗣️ 👀 pic.twitter.com/aWw0D6MDx2
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 8, 2026
“We had a difficult and chaotic start and from there, were yo-yoing with the overtakes between Charles and me.
“I could have perhaps used my energy more smartly to defend when I first overtook him and that cost me when he passed me back.
“It was quite stressful from in the car but hopefully meant we put on a good show for the fans.”
Starting from pole position, Russell swapped positions with Leclerc several times over the opening few laps as overtakes with energy harvesting and the new ‘push to pass’ became the new normal.
Up and down the field cars traded places in what appeared to be exciting racing, although several drivers later debated the skill sets involved.
The complexion of the race changed on lap 12 with a Virtual Safety Car deployment for Isak Hadjar’s stricken Red Bull. And with Mercedes opting to pit for the hard compound tyre and Ferrari staying out, the die was cast.
With tyre degradation remaining minimal, a one stopper remained the order of the day and Russell and Antonelli held firm to comfortably beat the Ferrari duo to the chequered flag.
“The overtakes were fun but I’m also racing cars that are two seconds slower” 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/mUA14L5PEO
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 8, 2026
“We stopped quite early on when the Virtual Safety Car was deployed and knew we were going to have to manage our tyres from there,” added Russell.
“We were not clear on whether the one or the two-stop was going to be quickest or which one was the right decision to help us take victory.
“The strategy team made a great call though and I am really happy we could take the victory and the 1-2.
“It’s a perfect way to start the season and we will enjoy this moment, but it is still very early days in the championship, and we know our rivals will be trying to close the gap quickly.”
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Teammate Antonelli’s impressive second place finish after being shuffled down to seventh early on proves that he will be a fierce competitor in 2026 and that Mercedes may already be the team to beat.
“Coming to the grid, I had a lower battery level so the start was very stressful,” said Antonelli.
“We obviously made a slow launch but from there our recovery was good and our pace was strong.
“That enabled us to fight our way back to the Ferraris and ultimately, after we went through the pitstops, to take a 1-2 for the team.
“Whilst we were the strongest team in Melbourne, we are going to have to work really hard to stay ahead. I’m now looking forward to China and seeing what we can do in Shanghai.”
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Craig Scarborough