George Russell of Mercedes won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday, heralding a new era for Formula 1 after a sweeping regulation change that has sparked polarizing reaction among the drivers.
Finishing in second was fellow Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli, followed by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
The result establishes Mercedes as the clear championship favorite at the outset of the 2026 season after their drivers qualified first and second.
It will boost Russell's hopes of a first driver's championship and his team's prospects of winning their first team championship since 2021. F1 history indicates that teams that nail a new regulations set early hold a lasting advantage.
"Feeling incredible. It was a hell of a fight at the beginning," Russell said in a post-race interview. "We knew it was going to be challenging. I got on the grid, I saw my battery level had nothing in the tank, made a bad start and then obviously some really tight battles with Charles. So I was really glad to cross the finish line."
Antonelli added, "It was the best start we could have wished for."
Finishing in fifth was reigning world champion Lando Norris of McLaren, ahead of four-time world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull, who started 20th after crashing in qualifying but recovered well during the race.
The season began with immense intrigue and anticipation due to a sweeping regulation change that has caused each team to build brand new cars, resetting the order of the grid.
Leclerc said the new cars make things "quite challenging."
The new rules alter the balance toward battery power that drivers can deploy with a button on their steering wheel or replenish by "harvesting" and slowing down, creating more strategy games. It turns the emphasis away from raw one-lap pace and toward long game, forcing drivers to save power for opportune moments.
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VerstappentoldDutch media after qualifying that the new regulations are antithetical to the spirit of racing.
"I'm not enjoying it at all," he said. "Emotionally and feeling-wise, I'm completely drained. This has very little to do with racing."
Norris, too, was unhappy after qualifying, telling Sky Sports that the regulation shift "already sucks."
"We've gone from the best cars to the worst," he said.
It was a dramatic start on Sunday as Leclerc blasted from fourth to the lead in the first corner, overtaking Russell and trading places with him for multiple laps before regaining the lead. There was more chaos, with multiple "virtual safety cars" to slow down the race and create strategic opportunities for cars to pit for fresh tires.
"It was a very, very tricky race," Leclerc said. "It's even more tricky for the overtakes, to defend."
Ferrari missed an opportunity early during the first "virtual safety car" to pit their drivers, which Mercedes took and secured their one-two finishing position.
It was a heartbreaking day for Oscar Piastri as the Australian lost control of his car on a reconnaissance lap and crashed it, stunning his home crowd as he failed to start the race after qualifying in fifth. Piastri, who grew up in Melbourne near the track, narrowly lost the world championship last year.
Aston Martin's misery continued after a dreadful preseason marked by car problems, with both drivers — Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll — failing to complete race distance.
Cadillac, the new GM-backed American team making its debut, had a difficult start with one of its drivers, Valtteri Bottas, failing to finish with a technical issue. The team's other driver, Sergio Perez, finished 16th.