F1 Australian Grand Prix 2026 Recap: George Russell kicks things off with commanding win

George Russell converted his pole position into a dominant win in Melbourne, kicking off Formula One’s new era with victory at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.

Russell’s teammate, Kimi Antonelli, finished second, recovering from a poor start to hand Mercedes a double podium, while Ferrari also finished on the podium through Charles Leclerc’s third-place finish. Reigning world champion Lando Norris could only manage fifth, while Max Verstappen put in another incredible charge through the field to finish P6 after starting P20.

The season-opener also highlighted the reliability issues teams are going through, as five drivers did not see the chequered flag, including Australia’s very own Oscar Piastri, who couldn’t even start the race.

The action kicked off even before the lights went out, as home hero Oscar Piastri crashed on the warm-up lap while coming out of Turn 4, which ended his race then and there.

When the lights eventually went out, the 2026 Formula One season got underway, and it was Charles Leclerc who stole the lead of the race from pole-sitter George Russell, going from fourth to first in the opening corner as Ferrari continued to impress with their race starts. The action was all over the grid, as Leclerc’s teammate Lewis Hamilton made up places as well to move to third, while Kimi Antonelli fell from second to eighth.

Hamilton and Isack Hadjar were involved in a big scrap on the opening lap for third place as the new Red Bull driver kept the pressure on Hamilton, with rookie Arvid Lindblad behind them in fifth as he kept reigning world champion Lando Norris at bay.

While Ferrari had the rocket race starts, it was Mercedes’ rocket engine that helped George Russell retake the lead from Leclerc on the second lap. The Monégasque hit back a lap later, going back into first position once again. Leclerc and Russell kept each other on their toes, pushing each other to every inch on the track as they exchanged the top spot. By Lap 10, Hamilton was within a second of the top two, trying his best to keep up with the leaders.

The race saw its first Virtual Safety Car on Lap 11 when Hadjar’s Red Bull engine gave up, ending his race. Both Mercedes cars pitted at this point, while the Ferrari cars stayed out, much to Hamilton’s dismay.

The retirements kept coming as Fernando Alonso and Valtteri Bottas joined the exodus a couple of laps later, with Leclerc and Hamilton leading the race. Ferrari eventually called in Leclerc on Lap 25, which saw Hamilton move into the lead, but the seven-time world champion wasn’t able to keep the quicker Mercedes car on fresher tyres behind him for too long, and Russell breezed past him at Turn 9 on Lap 28 to retake the lead of the race.

After losing the lead, Ferrari finally called Hamilton into the pits. He rejoined in fourth place, with the Ferrari and Mercedes drivers fighting it out at the top. Max Verstappen, who had started a woeful 20th, was up to fifth place by Lap 32, showing impressive pace and racecraft in his Red Bull and leading the only remaining McLaren on the grid of Lando Norris.

As the race entered its final 20 laps, Russell led from Antonelli with the Ferrari cars behind them. Leclerc tried to keep up with the Mercedes duo ahead of him, setting fastest lap after fastest lap. Verstappen came in for his second stop on Lap 43 as Red Bull put him on fresher tyres. As soon as he returned to the track, the Dutchman set the fastest lap of the race and was right behind Norris, trying to retake that fifth spot.

With ten laps to go, Russell was almost six seconds clear of his teammate at the front, while Hamilton had caught up to Leclerc. The final couple of laps didn’t see many overtakes. Hamilton came closest to making up a place, but Leclerc hung on by the skin of his teeth, finishing just 0.6 seconds ahead of his teammate as the chequered flag fell.

Up front, Russell remained unbothered and picked up a comfortable win. Antonelli recovered from a poor start to make it a Mercedes 1-2. Leclerc finished third, giving Ferrari a podium to kick off the campaign, with Hamilton, Norris, Verstappen, Oliver Bearman, Arvid Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Pierre Gasly rounding out the points places in that order.

Russell’s win sees him take the early advantage in the Drivers’ Standings, while Mercedes’ double podium puts them at the top of the Constructors’ Standings as well. Ferrari’s third- and fourth-place finishes, meanwhile, keep them in touch with the Silver Arrows.

The action has kicked off in Melbourne and will continue as the grid moves to Shanghai for the Chinese Grand Prix next weekend.