Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, In the early stages of the race, the lead frequently changed hands between George Russell and Charles Leclerc
F1 Correspondent in MelbournePublished8 March 2026, 05:39 GMT61 CommentsUpdated 22 minutes agoGeorge Russell took a comfortable victory in the Australian Grand Prix at the start of a new era of Formula 1 after a brief early scrap with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Russell and Leclerc staged a close fight for the first 10 laps with frequent lead changes before Ferrari's decision to stay out during a virtual safety car period took them out of contention for the win.
The Briton led home team-mate Kimi Antonelli while Leclerc had to be satisfied with the final podium position ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
McLaren's world champion Lando Norris finished fifth, fending off a challenge in the closing laps from Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who recovered from 20th on the grid to finish sixth.
Norris' team-mate Oscar Piastri crashed on his way to the grid of his home race, losing control over a kerb and spinning into the wall.
Arvid Lindblad, 18, became the youngest Briton to race in F1 and impressed on his debut to take eighth behind countryman Oliver Bearman in the Haas.
The key stories of a race that faded in interest after early excitement were:
Mercedes' dominant victory to mark a return to the front of F1 after four difficult years
Russell's pole position - 0.8 seconds clear of the fastest non-Mercedes car - had sent shockwaves through the paddock on Saturday but the race was initially much closer than qualifying.
Both Ferrari drivers made their expected electric starts, and Leclerc vaulted from fourth on the grid to take the lead at the first corner.
Russell powered past the Ferrari on lap two between Turns 10 and 11 by using extra electrical energy.
But Leclerc was not to go down without a fight and drove past the Mercedes in a similar fashion on the run to Turn Nine on lap three.
Russell tracked Leclerc closely, challenging him into Turn One on lap nine only for the Ferrari driver to fend him off and leave Russell to fight to retain his position from Hamilton, who made it a three-car train in the lead.
Antonelli, who had dropped back to seventh at the start, then joined them to make it four cars in the leading group after 10 laps, and they circulated together until Isack Hadjar's Red Bull retired on lap 12.
The Frenchman, who had been running fifth, pulled off on the back straight, bringing out the virtual safety car, usually the trigger for teams to pit and benefit from the reduced time loss compared with pitting under racing conditions.
But while Russell and Antonelli pitted, Leclerc and Hamilton did not. Hamilton immediately questioned the call, saying over the radio: "At least one of us should have pitted."
Instead, they ran long, sticking to their pre-race plan of a one-stop strategy.
On fresher tyres, Leclerc might have been expected to narrow the gap to Russell, but he did not, and the fight at the front was over.
More to follow
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The damaged McLaren of Oscar Piastri is driven away on a truck after he crashed on the way to the grid before the Australian Grand Prix
