George Russell has commenced his 2026 campaign with a bang, after crossing the finish line first at the circuit in Albert Park, Melbourne.
The Mercedes driver beat his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli by just 2.974 seconds for a team one-two finish.
Charles Leclerc claimed third for Ferrari, 15.519 seconds back, with Lewis Hamilton fourth, another 0.625 seconds behind.
Russell started from pole and controlled the race from the front, pulling away after an early Virtual Safety Car shook up the field.
Ferrari opted to stay out on medium tires during the VSC, hoping for a one-stop strategy that would extend their stint by about 15 laps compared to Mercedes.
That call left Leclerc and Hamilton chasing hard in the second half, but they could not close the gap to the Silver Arrows duo.
The race kicked off without local hero Oscar Piastri, who crashed on the sighting lap and failed to start his home grand prix. Nico Hulkenberg also sat out the action.
Three more retirements followed, thinning the field as Mercedes capitalized on their pace with the new 2026 regulations.
Lando Norris rounded out the top five in the McLaren, 51.741 seconds off the win, while Max Verstappen charged from 20th to sixth for Red Bull, a feat for which he won Driver of the Day.
Sunday’s outing also saw the dominance of rookies, such as Oliver Bearman, who took seventh for Haas, and Arvid Lindblad, grabbing eighth on debut with Racing Bulls, both a lap down.
Lower down, Gabriel Bortoleto ninth for Audi, Pierre Gasly tenth in the Alpine. Esteban Ocon was 11th for Haas, Alex Albon 12th with Williams, and Liam Lawson 13th at Racing Bulls.
Franco Colapinto managed 14th for Alpine on two laps down, Carlos Sainz Jr. 15th for Williams, and Sergio Perez last for Cadillac on three laps off.
Russell now leads the drivers’ standings with 25 points, seven clear of Antonelli on 18. Leclerc holds third on 15, Hamilton fourth with 12. Mercedes tops the constructors’ table after this strong start to the 24-race calendar.
This is one of the best possible starts to the season, and it sets the stage for how eventful the rest of the season might turn out.
