Finlay McSporran
Published: 18:00 8 March 2026
Title favourites Mercedes got off to a perfect start with a 1-2 at Albert Park.
Race Report
There was huge drama before the race even got underway, as home favourite Oscar Piastri crashed on the out-lap to the grid. The Australian spun his McLaren at the exit of turn 4, hitting the barriers and taking himself out of the race before it had even started. The Australian home race curse seemingly striking again.
He wasn’t the only one who failed to take the start, as Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi was withdrawn on the way to the grid, after the team lost telemetry due to a technical problem.
But, after 91 days of waiting, Formula 1 was finally back.
And back with a bang, as the fast-starting Ferrari of Charles Leclerc swooped past the Mercedes pair to take the lead at turn 1.
Leclerc wouldn’t stay there for long however, as Russel got passed him on lap 2.
With Russel being the pre-season favourite, many would have expected him to now disappear off into the distance. But he didn’t.
Leclerc came right back at him the following lap, re-taking the lead round the swooping left-hander of turn 9.
The electrical management required by the new regulations created a 200mph game of chess. The two exchanged positions multiple times over the following laps, creating a great spectacle.
Their battle was interrupted however on lap 11 as Isack Hadjar, who qualified an impressive 3rd the day before, came grinding to a halt after his Redbull broke down on lap 11/58, bringing out a virtual safety car.
That gave the strategists a big decision to make.
Stopping now under the VSC would reduce the time lost in the pits, but would push the driver towards a 2-stop-strategy, as 47 laps is a long way to go on a set of tyres.
Ferrari opted to stay out, with Leclerc taking the lead and Hamilton moving up to second.
Mercedes on the other hand decided to box both cars.
Elsewhere, Max Verstappen, who had crashed in qualifying, was now up into the top 10 having started in twentieth position.
On lap twenty the Dutchman had caught up to rookie Arvid Lindblad who was having a stellar first race. The 18-year-old made it difficult for Verstappen, but eventually the four-time champion got passed and into sixth.
New team Cadillac was also having an eventful race. Sergio Perez and RB driver Liam Lawson picked up where they left off in 2024, banging wheels as they battled for position. Clearly no love lost between those two.
Perez would soon become the only Cadillac on the race, as Valtteri Bottas pulled over in the other car with a technical issue.
Back to the battle for the lead, where Ferrari were preparing for a pit stop.
Leclerc pitted from the lead on lap 25, with Hamilton coming in a few laps later.
The order was now, Russel (1) Antionelli (2) Leclerc (3) Hamilton (4). While the Mercedes cars had track position they were already on old tyres with the second half of the race still to go.
With the Ferrari’s now behind on fresher tyres, the Sliver Arrows could ill afford another pit stop, as that would surrender the lead to the Scuderia.
They had to hold on and make the one-stop work.
And hold on they did.
Despite the pressure from Ferrari, Russel and Antionelli held on to bring home to 1-2.
Leclerc came home in third but only just, as Hamilton made a late charge for the podium, the Briton clearly feeling much more comfortable in the new car.
Reigning champion Lando Norris came home a distant fifth in the sole McLaren, just ahead of Verstappen.
Oliver Bearman was best of the rest in seventh ahead of Lindblad who score points on debut, with Gabrielle Bortoleto and Pierre Gasly rounding out the top 10.
“As challenging as it was, it was still fun from within the cockpit. Maybe these new regulations aren’t as bad as everyone’s making out”, said George Russel with a grin on his face.
Leclerc (3) said: “It was a crazy start. It was good to be first, there was lots of expectations on us and we delivered so that was good.”
Hamilton (4) said: “Feel great. Feel like I could’ve kept going, wish the race was longer. There’s lots and lots of positives to take from today and the cars feeling great, it was actually a really fun race.”
Full Race Classification:
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time / Retired | Pts. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:23:06.801 | 25 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +2.974s | 18 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +15.519s | 15 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +16.144s | 12 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +51.741s | 10 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +54.617s | 8 |
| 7 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | +1 lap | 6 |
| 8 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1 lap | 4 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1 lap | 2 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1 lap | 1 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +1 lap | 0 |
| 13 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1 lap | 0 |
| 14 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +2 laps | 0 |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +2 laps | 0 |
| 16 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +3 laps | 0 |
| NC | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +15 laps | 0 |
| NC | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | DNF | 0 |
| NC | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | DNF | 0 |
| NC | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | DNF | 0 |
| NC | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | DNS | 0 |
| NC | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | DNS | 0 |
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