The 2026 Formula 1 season saw George Russell take victory at the Australian Grand Prix, completing a remarkable victory for Mercedes in the sport’s controversial new technical area. This is the first time the Mercedes has achieved a 1-2 finish without Lewis Hamilton since the 1955 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, which was won by five-time world champion Juan Manuel Fangio, while teammate Taruffi secured second position.
Russell took the lead on lap 2, passing Leclerc and keeping him at bay on the straight. Leclerc used his overtaking boost to regain the place one lap later via the fast chicane. It was a pleasure to watch the intriguing battle between the two race leaders.
Meanwhile, Norris did a fantastic job maintaining a six-car lead over Verstappen, the two playing the energy management game. Russell took the season-opening victory 2.9 seconds ahead of his teammate to lead the world championship for the first time in his Formula 1 career.
Mercedes’ George Russell, who turned his pole position into a race win, said: “I feel incredible, it was a great battle in the beginning. We knew it was going to be a challenge, and I got on the grid and I saw my battery level had nothing in the tank.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it, we had a feeling it would be a bit of a yo-yo effect, as soon as one of us got in front it felt impossible to hold on.” he said.
Russell looks calm, cool and collected up front and is ready to take his first win of the new campaign. It was an eventful day in Melbourne, which started with home driver Oscar Piastri’s crash on his way to the grid. Australian fans will be pleased with the rest of the on-track action, especially the lead changes between George Russell and Charles Leclerc in the opening stages.
George Russell told it Air sports that he did not use his boost mode button, which allows drivers to use the full power of the battery to attack or defend during one of his duels with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for the race lead. He says he is learning lessons for the next Grand Prix, which takes place in China in a few days.
