George Russell took the win at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, leading a solid showing for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team in the first race of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
Russell started from pole position at the Albert Park Circuit and finished in second place. He finished 2.974 seconds ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli after a dramatic race with several lead changes and safety interventions.
Charles Leclerc came in third for Scuderia Ferrari, with his teammate Lewis Hamilton just behind him in fourth. Russell had to work hard right from the start after Leclerc took the lead, but he managed to get it back pretty quickly during a tough fight in the early laps.
The race also put Formula One’s new power unit rules to the test, making drivers keep a close eye on how they use battery energy throughout the race.
Lando Norris, the defending champion, came in fifth for McLaren, while Max Verstappen put on a strong recovery for Red Bull Racing, moving up from 20th on the grid to finish sixth.
Oscar Piastri, the home driver, was left frustrated after crashing before the race even started, which meant he couldn’t take part in the race.
