The 2026 F1 season was supposed to start out with chaos. , unfamiliar automobiles and an meant the doomsayers had a discipline day within the weeks main as much as Melbourne. What they acquired as an alternative was one of many extra compelling season openers in latest reminiscence, and two groups that separated themselves from the remainder of the sector as in the event that they had been racing in a special collection.
Mercedes and Ferrari weren’t simply good in Australia. They had been in a category of their very own. When the mud settled at Albert Park, the . Everybody else was left to type out the scraps. Right here’s who had cause to smile — and who’s already scrambling.
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Winner: The Race Begin | A Lovely Mess That Wasn’t Messy At All
2026 Australian Grand Prix
Getting in, the most important unknown wasn’t which group had the quickest automotive. It was whether or not anybody would truly make it by way of Flip 1 with out wrecking. The 2026 rules launched — drivers obtain a five-second warning by way of blue flashing panels as an alternative of the normal lights — and loads of sensible folks spent loads of time warning F1 that issues might go sideways in a rush.
They didn’t. What followers acquired as an alternative was a genuinely spectacular opening sequence. on the grid and was already main earlier than most individuals had time to course of what occurred. George Russell discovered himself holding off a charging Lewis Hamilton whereas concurrently chasing down the Ferrari in entrance. A number of place modifications within the first two laps, precise wheel-to-wheel contact between automobiles that matter, all within the period of spec-adjacent racing and processions, this felt alive.
The brand new rules didn’t produce a security headache. They produced a race.
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Winner: George Russell | Mercedes
George Russell Australian Grand Prix Winner for Mercedes
“Feeling unbelievable. It was a hell of a battle at the start. We knew it was going to be difficult. I acquired on the grid, I noticed my battery stage, I had nothing within the tank, made a foul begin, after which clearly had some actually tight battles with Charles, so I used to be actually glad to cross the end line.”
That’s what profitable the primary race of a brand new F1 period appears like. , a tag he wore gracefully after which went out and justified it on Sunday. He took pole, survived a chaotic early battle with Leclerc, executed an excellent one-stop technique, and crossed the road 2.9 seconds forward of his teammate.
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“That wasn’t an easy afternoon, however this win feels very candy.”
It wasn’t simply the win. The way in which Russell managed the Leclerc risk in these opening laps, buying and selling positions, preserving tires, staying out of hassle, confirmed maturity. Mercedes had the quicker automotive, sure, however Russell nonetheless needed to drive it. He did.
Winner: Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli Australian Grand Prix
Cease and respect what this child pulled off over 48 hours in Melbourne. He morning. His mechanics had hours to rebuild it from what seemed like a complete loss. Then he certified second, acquired despatched to the stewards twice over separate incidents, and nonetheless completed second within the race after dropping to seventh in the beginning. He spent the center portion of the afternoon methodically selecting his approach again by way of site visitors.
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“It was very intense, I used to be very nervous, very harassed going into the session as a result of at one level it seemed like I couldn’t make it… We couldn’t even arrange the automotive, we simply went out of the storage.”
Nineteen years outdated. Second place in his first race of a brand-new regulation period. Mercedes has an issue and the issue is that each of their drivers are very, excellent.
Winner: Charles Leclerc | Ferrari
Charles Leclerc 2026 Australian Grand Prix Ferrari
He began fourth. He led after the primary nook. That’s not luck, that’s the doing one thing the remainder of the sector merely can’t match proper now, mixed with a driver who is aware of precisely methods to exploit it.
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Leclerc stored Russell sincere for the higher a part of 15 laps, swapping the lead forwards and backwards in a approach that made the Albert Park grandstands genuinely loud. The technique name that in the end value Ferrari a possible win wasn’t his fault (that’s a group determination we’ll get to) and third place in a race the place Mercedes had a transparent efficiency edge is a outcome Ferrari can construct on.
The automotive is actual. Leclerc is actual. The hole to the Mercedes exists, but it surely’s not the form of hole that will get you reaching for the white flag.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari
Lewis Hamilton
He began seventh. By the primary nook he was third. That alone tells you one thing about in 12 months two with Ferrari in comparison with the troublesome slog that was 2025.
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The technique stored him out of the rostrum image and staying out by way of each Digital Security Automobile durations backfired when Mercedes’ tire life proved unexpectedly lengthy, however Hamilton wasn’t hiding something after the race.
“I really feel nice. I really feel like I might have stored going. I want the race was longer. One other 5 laps or so, I believe I’d have gotten third,” Hamilton stated. “There’s numerous positives however we have now loads of work to do to catch Mercedes but it surely’s not unimaginable. I imagine we are able to shut the hole.”
That second quote issues. A 12 months in the past, Hamilton was visibly deflated after races that didn’t go to plan. This model appears like somebody who has rediscovered why he does this. Ferrari fourth in Melbourne with tempo to spare is a really totally different state of affairs than the place the Scuderia was at the moment final season.
Loser: Oscar Piastri | McLaren
Oscar Piastri
There’s no light approach to write this one. Oscar Piastri crashed out of his house race earlier than the formation lap was even full. He clipped the curb at Flip 4, misplaced management, and that was it. The automotive into the wall, the house crowd in shocked silence, the season begin decreased to zero factors on house soil.
Having certified fifth, he was on his approach to the grid when he took an excessive amount of curb and crashed into the limitations.
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It will get worse when you think about the context. McLaren got here into 2026 because the defending constructors’ champion. The brand new rules had been all the time going to be a problem to navigate — buyer Mercedes energy models imply the hole to the works group is actual — however dropping your Australian driver at his house race earlier than the lights even exit is the form of begin that takes weeks to shake off. Lando Norris completed fifth, which tells the total story of the place McLaren sits proper now.
Loser: Ferrari Technique | Ferrari
Picture: F1/William West
The automotive is sweet. The technique division had a tricky afternoon. When the primary Digital Security Automobile got here out, triggered by Isack Hadjar’s Pink Bull retirement, each Leclerc and Hamilton stayed out whereas Mercedes pitted. Ferrari thought it was too early for a one-stop technique to work. .
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Ferrari opted to go away each drivers out. Then, once they finally pitted beneath regular racing circumstances, they misplaced an enormous period of time and had been subsequently jumped by Antonelli.
A second VSC then got here out, and Ferrari couldn’t even benefit from that one because the pit lane entry had already closed. They went from holding a 1-2 to ending 3-4 and the excellence feels vital whenever you’re chasing a group that simply executed its pit stops completely and drove off into the space. Ferrari is aware of it. The group stated after the race they know the place they should enhance. The automotive deserves higher selections than it acquired on Sunday.
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