The Briton took the chequered flag 2.9 seconds clear of his Italian teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while Charles Leclerc completed the podium in third for Ferrari.

While the result may look comfortable on paper, the story of the race was the fierce early duel between Russell and Leclerc. The pair traded the lead several times across the opening stint, providing a thrilling demonstration of the closer racing promised by the sport’s new rules.

That early fight for the lead delivered plenty of entertainment for the packed Albert Park crowd, although there was immediate disappointment for local fans.

Home favourite Oscar Piastri failed to even take the start after crashing spectacularly on his installation lap to the grid, becoming the first retirement of the 2026 season and bringing his home race to an abrupt and embarrassing end.

Elsewhere, the race featured plenty of drama with multiple retirements and numerous battles throughout the field, further highlighting the intensity of the sport’s new era.

Russell, who secured the sixth win of his career and Mercedes’ first victory in Melbourne since 2019, said he relished the early battle with Leclerc and was delighted to start the season with a win.

“[I’m] feeling incredible,” he said.

“It was a hell of a fight at the beginning. We knew it was going to be challenging.”

“It couldn’t have started in a better way.”

Oscar Piastri crashes out before Australian Grand Prix

Antonelli, meanwhile, equalled his best-ever finish and secured the fourth podium of his career. The Italian said the result marked an ideal start to the new season.

“It was the best start we could’ve wished for,” he said.

“Overall was a good race. The pace was very strong, especially at the end. Just looking forward to next week.”

Leclerc’s third-place finish backed up Ferrari’s strong pre-season form. The Monegasque driver admitted the opening phase of the race had been unpredictable, but ultimately felt third was the maximum result available.

“It was a very very tricky race. Honestly at the start I don’t think any of us new what to expect,” he said.

“It was a fun first part of the race, and then P3 was the best we could do today.”

‘Difficult to accept’: Piastri identifies causes of Australian GP crash

Leclerc stormed into the lead off the start line, surging from fourth to first into the opening corner to sweep past Russell and Antonelli.

It sparked a thrilling opening 10 laps, with Ferrari and Mercedes locked in a cat-and-mouse battle that saw the pair exchange the lead multiple times.

Russell reclaimed the lead on Lap 2 after slipping past Leclerc into Turn 10, but the Ferrari driver responded a lap later to retake the position.

The fight intensified on Lap 8, when the lead changed hands twice in quick succession before Leclerc ultimately emerged back in front.

Russell launched another attack on Lap 9, attempting a move down the inside at Turn 1, but locked up heavily under braking. Leclerc held the position as the Mercedes ran wide, dropping Russell briefly into the clutches of Lewis Hamilton behind.

The order remained unchanged until a Virtual Safety Car was triggered on Lap 11 following the retirement of Isack Hadjar, who pulled off the circuit in a cloud of smoke on the approach to Turn 9.

Russell and Antonelli immediately took advantage of the VSC to dive into the pits, while both Ferraris elected to remain on track. Hamilton quickly questioned the decision over team radio, asking why at least one of the Ferrari drivers had not been brought in under the neutralisation.

Leclerc eventually made his stop on Lap 26 from the lead, handing Hamilton the top spot on the road. However, that advantage proved short-lived, with Russell passing the Ferrari driver on track soon after to reclaim the lead, while Hamilton pitted shortly afterwards.

Following the move, Russell immediately told his team over the radio that he believed a one-stop strategy was “viable.”

That call ultimately proved correct. Mercedes confirmed to Russell on Lap 44 that he would run to the end of the race, with both he and Antonelli controlling proceedings from the front for the remainder of the 58-lap contest.

Russell did encounter some minor issues in the closing laps as graining developed on his front tyres, allowing Leclerc to chip away slightly at the gap. However, the Mercedes driver remained comfortably in control to seal the victory.

Behind the leading trio, Hamilton finished fourth, ahead of reigning world champion Lando Norris and a resurgent Max Verstappen.

Verstappen produced one of the drives of the race, charging through the field to finish sixth after starting from the back of the grid. His recovery performance earned him Driver of the Day honours.

The top six were also the only drivers to complete the full race distance on the lead lap, with the remainder of the field eventually being lapped during the closing stages.

Oliver Bearman finished seventh for Haas, just ahead of an impressive Arvid Lindblad, who scored points on his Formula 1 debut with eighth place.

The British rookie had earlier enjoyed a remarkable start to the race, climbing from ninth to fourth on the opening lap before briefly moving into third on Lap 2. He was later overtaken by Hamilton and gradually dropped back into a series of battles through the midfield, but held on strongly late in the race.

Behind Lindblad, Gabriel Bortoleto secured points for Audi in ninth, marking a positive result for the manufacturer in its first Formula 1 race weekend. Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10.

Liam Lawson was unable to replicate his strong qualifying performance, slipping out of the points early before eventually finishing 13th.

The New Zealander was involved in a tight mid-race scrap with the Cadillac of Sergio Perez, with the pair’s on-track battle evoking memories of their multiple clashes toward the end of the 2024 season.

As expected, the race also turned into a battle of survival, with several drivers encountering trouble across the afternoon.

Four retirements had already been recorded by Lap 19, with five cars ultimately failing to reach the finish.

Nico Hulkenberg did not even make it to the start, joining Piastri as a non-starter. The German handed Audi a nightmare beginning to its Formula 1 debut weekend after stopping on track while making his way to the grid.

Although his car was eventually wheeled back to the pits, Hulkenberg was unable to rejoin the field, leaving just 20 cars to line up for the start of the race.

Hadjar’s Lap 11 retirement was followed by Valtteri Bottas on Lap 18, with the returning Finn stopping his car at the entry to the pit lane and bringing out another brief VSC period.

Fernando Alonso was initially listed as retired on Lap 15 after Aston Martin called him into the pits. However, the Spaniard later returned to the track roughly 10 laps later as the team elected to gather additional data, effectively turning the remainder of the race into an extended running session before ultimately retiring the car.

His teammate Lance Stroll faced a similar situation. The Canadian was initially brought into the pits on Lap 34, seemingly to retire, before Aston Martin sent him back out again to continue circulating. Stroll ultimately finished 15 laps behind race winner Russell.

After an entertaining start to Formula 1’s new regulation cycle, teams and drivers will now regroup before heading to China for the second round of the 2026 season next weekend.