George Russell and Kimi Antonelli escaped from an early battle with the Ferraris to start Formula 1's new rules era with a Mercedes 1-2 in the Australian Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen recovered to sixth behind world champion Lando Norris after his qualifying crash, but Norris's McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri missed the race entirely having crashed on his way to the grid.
1 George Russell (Mercedes)
2 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +2.974s
3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +15.519s
4 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +16.144s
5 Lando Norris (McLaren) +51.741s
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +54.617s
7 Ollie Bearman (Haas) +1 lap
8 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) +1 lap
9 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +1 lap
10 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1 lap
11 Esteban Ocon (Haas) +1 lap
12 Alex Albon (Williams) +1 lap
13 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) +1 lap
14 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +2 laps
15 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +2 laps
16 Sergio Perez (Cadillac) +3 laps
17 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
DNF Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
DNF Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
DNF Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
DNS Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
DNS Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
Formula 1
Williams was "caught off guard" by what the works Mercedes F1 team has been able to extract from its engine, compared to its customers
Formula 1
Some F1 drivers believe fortunate near-misses in the Australian GP have further exposed two safety issues that need addressing
Formula 1
F1 drivers are divided on the new style of racing after the Melbourne opener
Formula 1
Liam Lawson has claimed Formula 1 returnee Sergio Perez is “not over” the pair’s previous on-track incidents following their most recent clash at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix
Formula 1
Race one of 2026 is done - but some teams and drivers have an awful lot more to celebrate than others
Formula 1
After all the pre-race fears and criticism, Formula 1’s 2026 rules era definitely kicked off in action-packed fashion at the Australian Grand Prix
