George Russell roars to Australian Grand Prix victory ahead of Antonelli and Leclerc in thrilling opener
George Russell roared to victory to head a Mercedes 1-2 from teammate Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in an exciting opener in Australia.
Russell masterfully converted his pole position to Grand Prix victory to seal himself as the season favourite after fending off Leclerc in a game of cat and mouse.
The Ferrari driver incredibly launched to the lead at the start with Ferrari’s small turbo, as teammate Lewis Hamilton also made ground at the start to finish fourth following teasers of their getaways in pre-season testing. An alternative strategy saw the Ferraris unable to challenge Russell in the final stages, with Hamilton finishing close behind Leclerc.
Antonelli fell to seventh at the start but showcased the dominance of the Mercedes package as he clawed up to second.
The new engine regulations and battery management alongside active aerodynamics made for strategic driving and inadvertently thrilling racing, as proved by Russell and Leclerc in the opening ten laps.
The race gave a glimpse at the competitive order– with World Champion Lando Norris only managing fifth in his McLaren, 50 seconds off the lead, whereas teammate and home hero Oscar Piastri failed to start after crashing during a lap to the grid.
Red Bull looked to be ahead of McLaren, but their finishing positions were distorted as Isack Hadjar retired due to engine problems after running comfortably in the top five. Max Verstappen, who has been vocal about the new cars, made his way to sixth from starting twentieth.
The midfield looks wide open as Haas, RB, Audi and Alpine all scored points in Melbourne. Haas’ Ollie Bearman finished seventh ahead of a brilliant showing from debutant Arvid Lindblad, who briefly occupied third.
Gabriel Bortoleto finished eighth to score points for Audi in their first race. The German team look well equipped to fight at the head of the midfield, despite Nico Hulkenberg being unable to start due to system faults.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly took the final points position in tenth ahead of Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon.
Liam Lawson finished thirteenth after a tantalising moment at the start which saw the Kiwi have a slow getaway following the new start procedure – causing Franco Colapinto to scarcely avoid the RB in a dicey opening move against the pit wall, before finishing behind Lawson.
Carlos Sainz finished in fifteenth after a difficult weekend for Williams, who are overweight and are struggling for performance after a positive 2025.
Sergio Perez was last of the finishers for Cadillac in their maiden race, while teammate Valterri Bottas retired with technical issues.
Aston Martin treated the Grand Prix as a testing session following extensive issues pre-season. Both Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso drove a stint and retired before coming back out for some further laps. The Silverstone-based outfit looked to have been able to complete the race distance, but a lack of parts was too high a risk.
Next week’s Chinese Grand Prix provides an opportunity for all teams to build on form established in Melbourne.
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