Russell opens the season with a victory

The first race of the new era in Melbourne had been eagerly anticipated, and the opening round of the 2026 season indeed began with many questions.

After the winter tests it was still difficult to clearly understand the real balance of power between the teams, and the new regulations forced everyone to recalculate their approach. One thing also became clear during the weekend: some teams quickly found ways to adapt, while others arrived at the opening race facing serious difficulties. The grandstands at Albert Park were almost completely full, with the total attendance over the weekend approaching half a million.

Oscar Piastri set the fastest time in Friday practice, but the main attention shifted to Saturday. Kimi Antonelli crashed in final practice, yet that did not prevent Mercedes from dominating. On the contrary, George Russell found the right setup and confirmed his advantage in qualifying. The British driver secured the eighth pole position of his career, while Antonelli climbed to second place in a car that the mechanics had repaired just in time. As a result, Mercedes started the season by locking out the front row.

One of the biggest surprises of qualifying was Max Verstappen’s crash in the first session. As a result, he had to start the race from 20th place. The second row of the grid went to Isack Hadjar and Charles Leclerc, while Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris lined up on the third row. However, McLaren’s situation changed suddenly before the start: Piastri crashed on his lap leaving the pit lane and could not start his home race at all. Audi driver Nico Hülkenberg also failed to start due to a technical problem.

The race start itself was far from calm. Leclerc overtook Russell in the opening meters to take the lead. Antonelli lost several positions, while Lewis Hamilton and others managed to move forward. In the early laps, the main battle unfolded between Leclerc and Russell. The Mercedes driver attacked several times and even briefly took the lead on lap eight, but the Ferrari driver immediately responded and reclaimed the position. At this stage Hamilton also joined the fight, matching the pace of the leaders.

The first major turning point came when Hadjar’s car developed a problem. Smoke appeared from the car, and he stopped on track, triggering a Virtual Safety Car. Some drivers took the opportunity to pit, while Leclerc, Hamilton, Verstappen and several others chose to stay out. Shortly afterwards, Valtteri Bottas also stopped, causing another VSC period. Strategies began to diverge, and the race turned into a tactical battle as well as a test of pace. Ferrari stood out as the only team delaying its pit stop for a long time.

Amid the chaos, Antonelli gradually recovered and began regaining positions he had lost. The young Italian had dropped back early on but soon returned close to the front group. Verstappen also climbed through the field from behind and moved to the points.

By the middle phase of the race, Russell finally turned the situation in his favour. After Leclerc made his pit stop and Hamilton also headed to the pits, the Mercedes driver took the lead. By lap 30, the top three had formed as Russell, Antonelli and Leclerc.

In the closing stages, Mercedes maintained its advantage. Despite another VSC period and various pit stops, Russell kept control of the race. Antonelli held position behind him to secure a one-two finish for the team. Leclerc finished third, while Hamilton — who had closed the gap in the final laps — came home fourth. Norris finished fifth, and Verstappen climbed from the back of the grid to sixth. The fastest lap of the race also went to Verstappen.

Thus, the first race of the 2026 season ended with complete dominance from Mercedes. George Russell took the sixth victory of his career, while Kimi Antonelli equalled his best result with second place. Leclerc brought Ferrari a podium finish. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, extended his run of races without a podium with Ferrari.

Debutant Arvid Lindblad scored points in his very first race, while Gabriel Bortoleto delivered points for Audi in the team’s debut Grand Prix.

One thing is clear: Mercedes have started the season strongest. But can they maintain this advantage? We will begin to find the answer next weekend in China.

Sürətli dövrə: Maks Ferstappen (Red Bull) – 1:22.091 (43-cü dövrə, 231.460 km/saat).

Did not finished

Driver	Team	Lap	Reason
Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	43	mechanical problem
Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	21	mechanical problemproblem
Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	15	mechanical problemproblem
Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	10	power unit
Nico Hülkenberg	Audi	–	mechanical problem/did not started
Oscar Piastri	McLaren	–	crash/did not started

Drivers’ Championship

P	#	Driver	Country	Team	Points
1	63	George Russell		Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team	25
2	12	Kimi Antonelli		Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team	18
3	16	Charles Leclerc		Scuderia Ferrari HP	15
4	44	Lewis Hamilton		Scuderia Ferrari HP	12
5	1	Lando Norris		McLaren Mastercard F1 Team	10
6	3	Max Verstappen		Oracle Red Bull Racing	8
7	87	Oliver Bearman		TGR Haas F1 Team	6
8	41	Arvid Lindblad		Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team	4
9	5	Gabriel Bortoleto		Audi Revolut F1 Team	2
10	10	Pierre Gasly		BWT Alpine F1 Team	1

Constructors’ Championship

P	Team	Power unit	Points
1	Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team	Mercedes	43
2	Scuderia Ferrari HP	Ferrari	27
3	McLaren Mastercard F1 Team	Mercedes	10
4	Oracle Red Bull Racing	Red Bull Ford	8
5	TGR Haas F1 Team	Ferrari	6
6	Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team	Red Bull Ford	4
7	Audi Revolut F1 Team	Audi	2
8	BWT Alpine F1 Team	Mercedes	1