RACE REPORT | F1 Australia 2026

George Russell started the 2026 Formula 1 season with victory at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, leading home team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli to give Mercedes a perfect one-two finish.

George Russell won the first race of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Australian Grand Prix after an intense early battle with Charles Leclerc. The Mercedes driver controlled the final part of the race and secured victory ahead of his team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

The race weekend already produced drama before the start. Local hero Oscar Piastri crashed heavily while driving to the starting grid. The McLaren driver lost control at Turn 5 and hit the barriers, which meant he was unable to start his home race.

Shortly afterwards, Nico Hülkenberg also encountered technical trouble before the race began. The German driver, who had qualified 11th, had to return to the garage and did not take the start.

Most drivers chose the medium tyre for the start of the race. However, Franco Colapinto, Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen began on the hard compound, while Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz selected the soft tyres.

When the lights went out, Charles Leclerc made a strong start and moved into the lead. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who had started from the front row, dropped several positions after reports suggested he had no battery power available at the start.

The lead changed quickly. On lap two, Russell used his battery power to pass Leclerc and retake first place. The Ferrari driver responded two laps later with an overtake at Turn 11 to move back into the lead. Lewis Hamilton stayed close behind the pair, waiting for an opportunity.

Russell attacked again at Turn 3 a few laps later and briefly returned to first place, but Leclerc fought back once more and regained the lead at Turn 10. The two drivers ran closely together, with Russell later showing frustration over Leclerc’s defensive driving. On lap nine, Russell attempted another move at Turn 1 but locked up under braking. Leclerc kept the lead, while Hamilton closed the gap and joined the fight at the front.

Further back, Franco Colapinto received a stop-and-go penalty for a starting grid infringement. Antonelli meanwhile began to recover strongly. Within the first ten laps he passed Lando Norris and Arvid Lindblad and moved into fifth place while chasing Isack Hadjar.

Hadjar’s race ended on lap 12 when smoke appeared from his car before he stopped between Turns 10 and 11. Race control deployed a Virtual Safety Car, which allowed several drivers to make pit stops. Russell and Antonelli both pitted, while Ferrari kept Leclerc and Hamilton on track. Fernando Alonso’s difficult weekend continued when he retired on lap 15. Soon afterwards Antonelli moved up to fourth place after benefiting from his earlier pit stop.

Another Virtual Safety Car appeared on lap 19 after Valtteri Bottas stopped near the pit lane entry, ending the race for both the Finn and the debuting Cadillac team. Max Verstappen was among the drivers who used the neutralised period to pit.

When the race restarted, Verstappen quickly overtook Arvid Lindblad and climbed to sixth place after starting from the back of the grid. There was also a small incident between Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon when the two drivers made slight contact during an overtake attempt at Turn 4. The move was later investigated by the stewards.

Ferrari continued to delay their pit stops, but Leclerc finally came in on lap 26 for hard tyres and rejoined in fourth place. Two laps later Russell passed Hamilton to take the lead of the race before the Ferrari driver made his own pit stop. Later in the race debris from Sergio Perez’s car caused another short Virtual Safety Car period, but the interruption was brief and racing soon resumed.

As the race progressed, Mercedes considered whether Russell and Antonelli could finish the race with only one stop. Russell believed it was possible, while Antonelli described the strategy as “brave”.

Several more retirements followed, including Lance Stroll, reducing the number of cars still running. In the closing stages Russell remained firmly in control. By lap 44 he held a lead of more than six seconds over Antonelli, while Leclerc ran third for Ferrari.

Further back, Lando Norris overtook Arvid Lindblad for sixth place, with Max Verstappen close behind them in the final laps. Oliver Bearman also fought his way forward and secured seventh position for Haas.

Russell safely completed the final lap and crossed the finish line to win the Australian Grand Prix, giving Mercedes a perfect start to the 2026 season. Antonelli finished second to secure a strong one-two result for the team. Leclerc completed the podium in third place, successfully holding off his Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the closing laps.

Lando Norris finished fifth ahead of Max Verstappen. Oliver Bearman took seventh place, Arvid Lindblad was eighth for Racing Bulls, Gabriel Bortoleto scored points for Audi in ninth, and Pierre Gasly completed the top ten for Alpine.

2026 Australian Grand Prix: race results

1st – George Russell (Mercedes)
2nd – Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +2.974
3rd – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +15.519
4th – Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +16.144
5th – Lando Norris (McLaren) +51.741
6th – Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +54.617
7th – Oliver Bearman (Haas) +1 lap
8th – Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +1 lap
9th – Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +1 lap
10th – Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1 lap
11th – Esteban Ocon (Haas) +1 lap
12th – Alexander Albon (Williams) +1 lap
13th – Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1 lap
14th – Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +1 lap
15th – Carlos Sainz (Williams) +1 lap
16th – Sergio Perez (Cadillac) +3 laps

DNF – Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
DNF – Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
DNF – Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
DNF – Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
DNF – Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
DNF – Nico Hülkenberg (Audi)