F1 | Mercedes double in Australia: Russell wins ahead of Kimi, Ferrari on the podium
The 2026 Formula 1 season began as expected, with two Mercedes cars leading the field. George Russell won the Australian Grand Prix and becomes the first championship leader of the season. Behind him, Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured the second W17, giving the team directed by Toto Wolff a perfect start with a 1-2 finish as the new era of Formula 1 gets underway.
Mercedes proved dominant, as seen in yesterday’s qualifying, but the gaps to the closest challengers were far from massive. Ferrari, in particular, showed strong performance on track, demonstrating the competitiveness of the SF-26.
Until mid-race, the battle between Mercedes and Ferrari was highly entertaining, particularly due to varying energy usage strategies that led to multiple overtakes between Charles Leclerc and George Russell. The Monegasque driver launched brilliantly from fourth on the grid, overtaking several cars to lead into Turn 1. Meanwhile, Mercedes struggled at the lights, with Antonelli dropping six positions due to a battery not fully charged. From there, the race saw a series of overtakes between the number 16 Ferrari and Russell until lap 13, when Isack Hadjar’s retirement and the deployment of the Virtual Safety Car disrupted the balance.
Mercedes opted for a double pit stop while Ferrari stayed on track, adhering to the pre-race strategy. In hindsight, the Brackley team’s decision proved correct, allowing them to capitalize on the reduced time lost during the VSC and beat the Ferraris. Nevertheless, the Scuderia’s decision not to split strategies for Leclerc and Hamilton gave Mercedes a clear advantage. It is worth noting that the W17 cars may not have pushed fully during the second stint, relying on the solid lead secured after the pit stops—a factor to monitor next week in China.
With Leclerc completing the podium and Hamilton finishing fourth, just fractions behind his teammate, it’s clear the seven-time world champion appears revitalized compared to last season. Lando Norris finished fifth, the only McLaren driver to cross the line, but more than half a minute behind Russell’s W17. The closer concern for Mercedes is that they finished with less than three seconds’ advantage over Max Verstappen, who started at the back following his Q1 crash.
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar had a short race. After a solid start, the Parisian held fifth place ahead of Arvid Lindblad’s Racing Bulls and behind the Ferraris and Mercedes. On lap 11, however, a power unit failure forced him to park the RB22 on track, triggering a Virtual Safety Car. Despite the early retirement, Hadjar showed promising pace with the Milton Keynes team, awaiting more fortunate races and a more reliable RB22.
Oscar Piastri’s season began dramatically. The Australian, a hometown favorite and highly anticipated driver, retired before the race start after a mistake in Turn 4 during the formation lap. His McLaren MCL40 crashed into the barriers, destroying the front nose and right front suspension, ending both his and McLaren’s ambitions for the opening race.
Racing Bulls impressed in testing and continued to show solid performance, with the VCARB03 leading the midfield. Arvid Lindblad made an outstanding F1 debut, finishing seventh after a series of battles with Haas, Alpine, and Audi cars. Oliver Bearman also performed well, finishing eighth in the Haas VF-26 ahead of Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi R26. Nico Hulkenberg, on the other hand, could not start after his engine failed on the formation lap despite the team’s efforts.
Completing the top ten, Pierre Gasly claimed a hard-fought tenth place for Alpine, narrowly beating teammate Esteban Ocon by just six-tenths of a second. Williams struggled, with overweight FW48 cars preventing Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz from competing for points, finishing 12th and 13th respectively. Liam Lawson and Franco Colapinto disappointed, especially after their teammates scored points, while Sergio Perez brought the Cadillac MAC26 home in 16th.
Aston Martin exceeded expectations slightly, with Fernando Alonso starting well and reaching mid-field on lap one, eventually settling in 16th. On lap 14, the team asked Alonso to stop for adjustments and return 11 laps later. Lance Stroll received similar modifications later in the race. Valtteri Bottas retired on lap 18, parking his MAC26 on the grass at the final corner after a technical failure, marking a challenging start for the American team.
Race results – 2026 Australian GP
1. G. Russell (Mercedes) – 58 laps – 25 points
2. A. Antonelli (Mercedes) – +2.974 – 18 points
3. C. Leclerc (Ferrari) – +15.519 – 15 points
4. L. Hamilton (Ferrari) – +16.144 – 12 points
5. L. Norris (McLaren) – +51.741 – 10 points
6. M. Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) – +54.617 – 8 points
7. O. Bearman (Haas F1 Team) – 1 lap – 6 points
8. A. Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – 1 lap – 4 points
9. G. Bortoleto (Audi) – 1 lap – 2 points
10. P. Gasly (Alpine) – 1 lap – 1 point
11. E. Ocon (Haas F1 Team) – 1 lap
12. A. Albon (Williams) – 1 lap
13. L. Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 1 lap
14. F. Colapinto (Alpine) – 2 laps
15. C. Sainz Jr. (Williams) – 2 laps
16. S. Perez (Cadillac-Ferrari) – 3 laps
17. L. Stroll (Aston Martin Racing) – 15 laps
DNF: F. Alonso (Aston Martin Racing) – 37 laps
DNF: V. Bottas (Cadillac-Ferrari) – 43 laps
DNF: I. Hadjar (Red Bull Racing) – 48 laps
DNF: O. Piastri (McLaren) – 58 laps
DNF: N. Hulkenberg (Audi) – 58 laps
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