Leclerc’s electric shock is no match for Russell and Mercedes
A chaotic start and Ferrari gamble briefly stirred the race, but Mercedes controlled the strategy to secure a dominant 1–2 finish.
George Russell declared the start of the Mercedes era with a commanding victory and an almost unchallenged one-two finish, as Andrea Kimi Antonelli came home second. But it was not an easy ride at the beginning, at least not during a tense and electric opening stint. The start alone will fuel plenty of debate. Charles Leclerc surged from fourth to first with a blistering launch, helped by Ferrari’s remarkable electric power unit. Lewis Hamilton also made progress, climbing to third behind Russell.
For several laps, Leclerc and Russell traded positions in unpredictable fashion, overtaking in places where late braking or passing attempts would normally be unthinkable. The new regulations – cold and calculating over a single lap – delivered a burst of race-day excitement in the early stages. Perhaps the overtakes were somewhat artificial, driven by the immense electrical output of this new generation of engines, which can reach up to 350 kilowatts. But the reality was that Russell could not find a clean way past Leclerc. He became trapped in the slipstream with a Mercedes clearly faster than the Ferrari, while Hamilton lurked right behind them.
GEORGE RUSSELL WINS IN MELBOURNE! 🏆👏
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 8, 2026
An incredibly strong drive from the Mercedes driver to lead home a 1-2 for the team 🤩#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/8rHtSsFREe
The race was shaping up beautifully until a breakdown and a questionable call from the Maranello pit wall changed everything. Isack Hadjar retired after his engine caught fire, prompting the FIA to deploy a Virtual Safety Car – and Mercedes reacted immediately. Both cars were brought in on lap 12 of 58. Ferrari, however, chose not to stop either driver.
That decision proved decisive. Pit-lane speed is now limited to 37 mph (60 km/h), making any advantage during a stop – such as under a VSC – more valuable than ever. Ferrari had options. They could have pitted Leclerc and likely kept him ahead of Russell to defend the lead. They could have stopped Hamilton to mirror the strategy of the fastest car. Instead, they stuck to their original plan.
Russell and Antonelli closed the gap while Ferrari stayed out, and when Leclerc finally pitted 13 laps later he rejoined behind the Mercedes. Russell even overtook Hamilton on track. From that moment the outcome felt inevitable. The Mercedes had such a pace advantage that both drivers managed the final stint comfortably, completing 45 laps on their tires without ever appearing slower than the two Ferraris.
Russell took the checkered flag ahead of Antonelli, with Leclerc salvaging third after briefly threatening the fight for victory. Max Verstappen recovered to sixth but could not pass Lando Norris in the closing stages, in what was an unusually quiet afternoon for the reigning champion.
Points were spread generously across the grid, with eight teams scoring. Oliver Bearman finished seventh for Haas, a superb Arvid Lindblad claimed eighth for Racing Bulls, Gabriel Bortoleto brought Audi ninth, and Pierre Gasly secured tenth for Alpine – opening the account for all four teams. Three teams failed to score, and none of them came as a surprise.
Fernando Alonso’s promising start ends in retirement
Fernando Alonso at least enjoyed a brief moment of excitement at the start. The Spaniard overtook five cars in the chaos of the opening seconds and gained two more positions after early retirements for Nico Hülkenberg and Oscar Piastri. The McLaren driver crashed during the formation laps in front of his home crowd, leaving the Melbourne grandstands in stunned silence.
Alonso briefly defended tenth place but was heading toward an unavoidable retirement. He returned to the garage on lap 14 with problems on the AMR26. The team later sent him back onto the track for additional data collection before finally withdrawing the car after 21 laps to preserve battery components ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.
Carlos Sainz also briefly dreamed of points amid the turmoil ahead of him, but the Williams gradually shattered any hope. His race unraveled when the front wing was damaged without contact, apparently due to the fragility of the materials. The Spaniard dropped down the order as the RB, Audi, and Haas cars proved far too quick for the FW48.
He eventually finished 15th, only ahead of Sergio Pérez. It was an unusually entertaining season opener for Formula One in Australia – though perhaps not for purists or the drivers themselves. And certainly not for the two Spaniards. Some arrived to win, others to score points, and others simply to collect data – whatever that might ultimately mean.
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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| pos pilot | Esc | Time |
|---|---|---|
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1
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1h:23:06.801 |
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2
|
|
+2.974 |
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3
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+15.519 |
|
4
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+16.144 |
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5
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+51.741 |
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6
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+54.617 |
|
7
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1 lap |
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8
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1 lap |
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9
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1 lap |
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10
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1 lap |
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1
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3
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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| pos pilot | Esc | Pts |
|---|---|---|
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1
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25 |
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2
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18 |
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3
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15 |
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4
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12 |
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5
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10 |
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6
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8 |
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7
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6 |
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8
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4 |
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9
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2 |
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10
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1 |
| pos pilot |
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
|
|
10
|
| pos pilot | Esc | Time |
|---|---|---|
|
1
|
|
1h:23:06.801 |
|
2
|
|
+2.974 |
|
3
|
|
+15.519 |
|
4
|
|
+16.144 |
|
5
|
|
+51.741 |
|
6
|
|
+54.617 |
|
7
|
|
1 lap |
|
8
|
|
1 lap |
|
9
|
|
1 lap |
|
10
|
|
1 lap |
| pos pilot |
|---|
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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6
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7
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8
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9
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10
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| pos pilot | Esc | Pts |
|---|---|---|
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1
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25 |
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2
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18 |
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3
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15 |
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4
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12 |
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5
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10 |
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6
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|
8 |
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7
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6 |
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8
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4 |
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9
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2 |
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10
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|
1 |
| pos team |
|---|
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1
Mercedes
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2
Ferrari
|
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3
McLaren
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4
Red Bull
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5
Haas F1 Team
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6
RACING BULLS
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7
AUDI
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8
Alpine
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9
Williams
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10
CADILLAC
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11
Aston Martin
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| pos team | Esc | Pts |
|---|---|---|
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1
Mercedes
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|
43 |
|
2
Ferrari
|
|
27 |
|
3
McLaren
|
|
10 |
|
4
Red Bull
|
|
8 |
|
5
Haas F1 Team
|
|
6 |
|
6
RACING BULLS
|
|
4 |
|
7
AUDI
|
|
2 |
|
8
Alpine
|
|
1 |
|
9
Williams
|
|
0 |
|
10
CADILLAC
|
|
0 |
|
11
Aston Martin
|
|
0 |
| pos pilot |
|---|
|
1
|
|
2
|
|
3
|
|
4
|
|
5
|
|
6
|
|
7
|
|
8
|
|
9
|
|
10
|
| pos pilot | Esc | Pts |
|---|---|---|
|
1
|
|
25 |
|
2
|
|
18 |
|
3
|
|
15 |
|
4
|
|
12 |
|
5
|
|
10 |
|
6
|
|
8 |
|
7
|
|
6 |
|
8
|
|
4 |
|
9
|
|
2 |
|
10
|
|
1 |
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