Watch the highlights from Russell’s Australia victory

George Russell kicked off the 2026 Formula 1 season with a dominant victory at the Australian Grand Prix, fending off fierce competition from his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Starting from pole position at Albert Park, Russell initially lost the lead to Leclerc on an action-packed opening lap, which also saw Lewis Hamilton climb to third. Mercedes' strategic decision to pit both Russell and Antonelli under a Virtual Safety Car, triggered by Isack Hadjar's stranded Red Bull, ultimately proved pivotal. While the Silver Arrows capitalized on the VSC, Ferrari opted for an alternative tyre strategy, leaving Leclerc and Hamilton to finish third and fourth respectively. Reigning World Champion Lando Norris secured fifth place as the sole McLaren finisher after Oscar Piastri's pre-race incident. Max Verstappen delivered a superb recovery drive from 20th to sixth, followed by Ollie Bearman in seventh, rookie Arvid Lindblad in eighth, Gabriel Bortoleto in ninth, and Pierre Gasly rounding out the points in tenth, in a race that saw five retirements.