George Russell claimed a dramatic victory at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, leading a dominant performance for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team in the opening race of the 2026 Formula One season, MySportDab Reports,
Starting from pole position at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit, Russell crossed the finish line 2.974 seconds ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli after a chaotic race filled with overtakes, strategy calls, and multiple safety interventions.
Charles Leclerc secured third place for Scuderia Ferrari, while teammate Lewis Hamilton finished fourth.
Russell’s win came after an intense early battle with Leclerc. Although the Ferrari driver initially snatched the lead at the start, Russell fought back within the opening laps as the pair exchanged positions several times.
The race was further complicated by Formula One’s new power unit regulations, which require drivers to manage battery energy more carefully during races.
“I made a bad start and had some tight battles with Charles early on,” Russell said after the race. “It was a challenging race, but I’m really glad to cross the finish line first.”
Defending world champion Lando Norris finished fifth for McLaren, over 50 seconds behind the winner. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen produced an impressive recovery drive for Red Bull Racing, finishing sixth after starting from 20th following a crash in qualifying.
The race also saw several retirements as teams adapted to the new technical rules. Oscar Piastri suffered heartbreak on home soil after crashing on his formation lap, preventing him from starting the race.
Other drivers who failed to finish included Nico Hulkenberg, Isack Hadjar, Valtteri Bottas and Fernando Alonso.
Further down the order, Oliver Bearman finished seventh, rookie Arvid Lindblad placed eighth, while Gabriel Bortoleto and Pierre Gasly completed the top ten.
The Formula One season now moves to China next weekend, followed by races in Japan, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.