Russell leads Mercedes one-two as F1's new era opens in Melbourne
The short version
George Russell won the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, the first race under F1's new regulations, from pole position. Kimi Antonelli finished second, 2.974s back, to complete a Mercedes one-two, and Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari. Max Verstappen came through from 20th on the grid to finish sixth and set the fastest lap.
- 2.974sMargin of victory
- 1:22.091Fastest lap · Verstappen
- P20 → P6Verstappen · biggest mover (+14)
- 6Retirements · incl. Stroll, Alonso
George Russell
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Charles Leclerc
The new rules arrived, and Mercedes were ready. George Russell turned pole into victory at Albert Park to open the 2026 season, with Kimi Antonelli making it a Mercedes one-two.
Strategy beats Ferrari’s fast start
Ferrari had the better launch. Charles Leclerc led into Turn 1 and traded the lead with Russell in the early laps. The race turned when Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull engine failed on his debut for the team. Mercedes brought both cars in for hard tyres under the Virtual Safety Car, while Ferrari kept theirs out. A second VSC followed when Valtteri Bottas’s Cadillac stopped, and once Ferrari made their stops, Russell and Antonelli were in front. Leclerc held on for third, with Lewis Hamilton fourth on his first race day of the new era.
Verstappen’s recovery
Max Verstappen started 20th after failing to set a qualifying time. He fought his way up to sixth and took the fastest lap of the race.
Debuts and firsts
- Audi scored points first time out, with Gabriel Bortoleto ninth.
- Arvid Lindblad scored on his debut, finishing eighth for Racing Bulls.
- Cadillac got its first finish, with Sergio Pérez 16th.
- Oscar Piastri and Nico Hülkenberg never took the start.
Key moments
- StartLeclerc beats pole-sitter Russell into Turn 1, and the two swap the lead in the opening laps.
- VSCIsack Hadjar's engine fails on his Red Bull debut. Mercedes pit both cars for hard tyres under the Virtual Safety Car; Ferrari stay out.
- VSC 2Valtteri Bottas's Cadillac stops on track, triggering a second Virtual Safety Car.
- FlagThe strategy split pays off: Russell and Antonelli finish one-two, with Leclerc third.
Race classification
2026 Australian Grand Prix · official classification| Pos | Driver | Time / Gap | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | 1:23:06.801 | 25 |
| 2 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | +2.974 | 18 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | +15.519 | 15 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | +16.144 | 12 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | +51.741 | 10 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | +54.617 | 8 |
| 7 | Oliver Bearman | +1 Lap | 6 |
| 8 | Arvid Lindblad | +1 Lap | 4 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | +1 Lap | 2 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | +1 Lap | 1 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 12 | Alexander Albon | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 13 | Liam Lawson | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 14 | Franco Colapinto | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | +2 Laps | 0 |
| 16 | Sergio Pérez | +3 Laps | 0 |
Source: official results on Formula1.com, including post-race penalties.
Did not finish
6 retirements| Driver | Reason |
|---|---|
| Lance Stroll | Lapped |
| Fernando Alonso | Vibrations |
| Valtteri Bottas | Fuel system |
| Isack Hadjar | Power unit |
| Oscar Piastri | Did not start |
| Nico Hülkenberg | Did not start |
Weekend sessions
Practice, qualifying · tap to expandClassifications update on their own, within about 10 minutes of being published.
Practice 1
| Pos | Driver | Best | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Leclerc | 1:20.267 | 33 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:20.736 | 30 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | 1:20.789 | 27 |
| 4 | Isack Hadjar | 1:21.087 | 24 |
| 5 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:21.313 | 22 |
| 6 | Oscar Piastri | 1:21.342 | 21 |
| 7 | George Russell | 1:21.371 | 26 |
| 8 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:21.376 | 24 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:21.696 | 23 |
| 10 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:21.969 | 21 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | 1:22.161 | 28 |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz | 1:22.323 | 30 |
| 13 | Liam Lawson | 1:22.613 | 28 |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | 1:22.682 | 25 |
| 15 | Alexander Albon | 1:23.130 | 24 |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | 1:23.325 | 26 |
| 17 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:24.022 | 24 |
| 18 | Pierre Gasly | 1:24.035 | 27 |
| 19 | Lando Norris | 1:24.391 | 7 |
| 20 | Sergio Pérez | 1:24.620 | 14 |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | 1:50.334 | 3 |
Practice 2
| Pos | Driver | Best | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Piastri | 1:19.729 | 26 |
| 2 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:19.943 | 31 |
| 3 | George Russell | 1:20.049 | 28 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:20.050 | 32 |
| 5 | Charles Leclerc | 1:20.291 | 30 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | 1:20.366 | 13 |
| 7 | Lando Norris | 1:20.794 | 29 |
| 8 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:20.922 | 30 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | 1:20.941 | 28 |
| 10 | Esteban Ocon | 1:21.179 | 29 |
| 11 | Oliver Bearman | 1:21.326 | 31 |
| 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:21.351 | 34 |
| 13 | Liam Lawson | 1:21.358 | 29 |
| 14 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:21.668 | 28 |
| 15 | Alexander Albon | 1:21.847 | 32 |
| 16 | Pierre Gasly | 1:22.167 | 16 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | 1:22.253 | 10 |
| 18 | Franco Colapinto | 1:22.619 | 27 |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:23.660 | 28 |
| 20 | Fernando Alonso | 1:24.662 | 18 |
| 21 | Lance Stroll | 1:25.816 | 13 |
| 22 | Sergio Pérez | — | 2 |
Practice 3
| Pos | Driver | Best | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | 1:19.053 | 23 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:19.669 | 22 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | 1:19.827 | 20 |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | 1:20.087 | 17 |
| 5 | Isack Hadjar | 1:20.137 | 15 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | 1:20.197 | 15 |
| 7 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:20.324 | 18 |
| 8 | Lando Norris | 1:20.443 | 22 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:20.459 | 19 |
| 10 | Oliver Bearman | 1:20.778 | 18 |
| 11 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:20.838 | 15 |
| 12 | Liam Lawson | 1:20.890 | 13 |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | 1:20.983 | 19 |
| 14 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:21.067 | 22 |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | 1:21.071 | 26 |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | 1:21.413 | 22 |
| 17 | Alexander Albon | 1:21.664 | 17 |
| 18 | Fernando Alonso | 1:22.720 | 20 |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:23.514 | 12 |
| 20 | Sergio Pérez | 1:24.397 | 21 |
| 21 | Carlos Sainz | — | 1 |
Qualifying
| Pos | Driver | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | 1:19.507 | 1:18.934 | 1:18.518 |
| 2 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1:20.120 | 1:19.435 | 1:18.811 |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar | 1:20.023 | 1:19.653 | 1:19.303 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | 1:20.226 | 1:19.357 | 1:19.327 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | 1:19.664 | 1:19.525 | 1:19.380 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | 1:20.010 | 1:19.882 | 1:19.475 |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:19.811 | 1:19.921 | 1:19.478 |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | 1:20.491 | 1:20.144 | 1:19.994 |
| 9 | Arvid Lindblad | 1:20.409 | 1:19.971 | 1:21.247 |
| 10 | Gabriel Bortoleto | 1:20.495 | 1:20.221 | — |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | 1:21.024 | 1:20.303 | — |
| 12 | Oliver Bearman | 1:21.247 | 1:20.311 | — |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | 1:20.759 | 1:20.491 | — |
| 14 | Pierre Gasly | 1:21.138 | 1:20.501 | — |
| 15 | Alexander Albon | 1:21.051 | 1:20.941 | — |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | 1:21.200 | 1:21.270 | — |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | 1:21.969 | — | — |
| 18 | Sergio Pérez | 1:22.605 | — | — |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:23.244 | — | — |
| NC | Max Verstappen | — | — | — |
Quick answers
Who won the 2026 Australian Grand Prix?
George Russell (Mercedes) won the 2026 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Circuit on 8 March 2026, finishing 2.974s ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli in a race time of 1:23:06.801.
Who finished on the podium at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix?
P1 George Russell (Mercedes), P2 Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), P3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari).
Who set the fastest lap at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix?
Max Verstappen set the fastest lap of the race, a 1:22.091.
How many drivers retired from the 2026 Australian Grand Prix?
6 drivers did not finish: Lance Stroll (lapped), Fernando Alonso (vibrations), Valtteri Bottas (fuel system), Isack Hadjar (power unit), Oscar Piastri (did not start), Nico Hülkenberg (did not start).
Why did Max Verstappen start last in Australia 2026?
Verstappen failed to set a qualifying time and started 20th. He recovered to sixth in the race and set the fastest lap, a 1:22.091.
Did Audi and Cadillac score on their debut?
Audi scored its first F1 points when Gabriel Bortoleto finished ninth. Cadillac's Sergio Pérez finished 16th, the new team's first classified finish; Valtteri Bottas retired.