George Russell leads Mercedes 1-2 in Australian Grand Prix — as it happenedGeorge Russell in action at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. Martin Keep/AFP via Getty ImagesESPNMultiple AuthorsMar 8, 2026, 12:32 AM ET
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George Russell and Kimi Antonelli underlined Mercedes’ domination of the opening weekend of the 2026 season with a 1-2 finish in the Australian Grand Prix.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished 3-4, while reigning world champion Lando Norris took fifth, and Max Verstappen drove a sensational race to climb to sixth after starting 20th having crashed out of qualifying on Saturday.
There was drama even before the race started when Oscar Piastri crashed out in the formation lap. On the opening lap, a superb start from Leclerc saw him overtake Russell and the Ferrari set the pace early on. Soon Hamilton caught up too, but they were out-manoeuvered by Mercedes and their faster cars towards the middle of the race.
“I like this car, I like this engine,” crooned Russell as he drove in after the completion of the race, while Antonelli reported, “what a start to the year”, summing up just how happy Mercedes have been this weekend.
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