Russell Takes Round 1 in Australia!

George Russell fends off the early Ferrari threat to take his first win of 2026, and the first victory of the new regulations era. He is joined on the podium by Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc.

The drama began before the lights even went out. Oscar Piastri crashed his McLaren on the way to the grid, while Nico Hülkenberg was unable to start due to a mechanical issue.

When the lights finally went out, the Ferraris blitzed off the line, with Leclerc seizing the lead into Turn 1. In the early stages of the race, a cloud of smoke billowed from the back of Hadjar’s Red Bull, forcing him to retire from the Grand Prix.

As the race developed, the Mercedes drivers worked their way to the front, with the Ferraris close behind. Meanwhile, both Aston Martins and Bottas’ Cadillac were forced to retire. Verstappen fought his way up to P6 from his P20 starting position in an impressive recovery drive.

Point Scorers in Australia

P1: G. Russell – Mercedes

P2: K. Antonelli – Mercedes

P3: C. Leclerc – Ferrari

P4: L. Hamilton – Ferrari

P5: L. Norris – McLaren

P6: M. Verstappen – Red Bull

P7: O. Bearman – Haas

P8: A. Lindblad – Racing Bulls

P9: G. Bortoleto – Audi

P10: P. Gasly – Alpine

Formula 1 returns next week in China!