George Russell has won the Australian Grand Prix as the 2026 F1 curtain-raising race sparked a new era of the sport.
In a radical change from last season’s championship, one of the biggest differences sees a change in the turbo-hybrid power units and other implementations that impact the car’s aerodynamics, tires and fuel.
Mercedes were the standout team during pre-season testing and that form carried on at Albert Park in Melbourne this weekend with Russell qualifying on pole on Saturday.
However, come the first corner on Sunday, the Brit was overtaken by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
The pair were in an enthralling battle for the lead, swapping first-place five times during a frenetic opening few laps.
However, the cat-and-mouse nature of their battle ended on Lap 9 when the Virtual Safety Car was brought out after Isack Hadjar was forced to stop.
That was the defining moment of the race as while Russell pitted for new tyres but Ferrari erroneously kept Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton out on track. Ferrari’s blunder allowed Russell to race to the chequered flag unopposed.
George Russell ‘feeling incredible’ after Australian Grand Prix win
‘I’m feeling incredible. It was a hell of a fight at the beginning. We knew it was going to be challenging and I got on the grid and I saw my battery level had nothing in the tank,’ said Russell post-race.
‘I made a bad start and obviously some really tight battles with Charles, so I was really glad to cross the finish line.’
Things got worse for Ferrari too as Kimi Antonelli finished second for Mercedes with Leclerc third and Hamilton fourth.
Reigning F1 world champion Lando Norris finished fifth, while four-time champion Max Verstappen recovered from 20th to end in sixth.
Oliver Bearman finished seventh a lap, behind Russell, while Arvid Lindblad on debut came eighth with Gabriel Bortoleto and Pierre Gasly rounding out the top 10.
