The Australian Grand Prix began with early drama even before the race had started. Local favourite Oscar Piastri crashed heavily on his way to the starting grid. The McLaren driver lost control of his car at Turn 5 and hit the barriers, forcing him to retire before the race began. A very disappointing moment for the Australian driver and the home crowd.

Shortly afterwards, Nico Hulkenberg, who had been due to start from 11th place, experienced a problem with his car and was pushed back into the garage. As a result, the race grid was reduced before the lights had even gone out.

In terms of tyre strategy, most drivers chose to start on the medium compound tyres. However, Franco Colapinto, Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen opted for the harder tyres, while Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz selected the softer compound for the opening stint.

When the lights finally went out, Charles Leclerc made an excellent start and quickly took the lead of the race. In contrast, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who had started on the front row, dropped several positions. Reports suggest that the Italian driver had no battery charge available at the start.

The lead, however, changed again very early. On lap two, George Russell used his battery power effectively and overtook Leclerc to move back into first place. However, the Monegasque did not want to give up that easily. On lap 4, Leclerc fought back and reclaimed first place with a strong move into Turn 11. At the same time, Lewis Hamilton remained very close behind the leading pair, ready to take advantage of any mistake.

The fight for the lead continued over the next few laps. Russell briefly regained first place at Turn 3 by using his battery power again, but Leclerc responded once more and retook the lead at Turn 10. The two drivers ran very close together, with Russell later expressing frustration over one of Leclerc’s defensive moves.

On lap 9, Russell attempted another attack into Turn 1 but locked up heavily under braking. This mistake allowed Leclerc to move back ahead, while Hamilton closed the gap even further and joined the battle at the front.

Further down the field, Franco Colapinto came under investigation for a starting grid infringement and was later given a stop-and-go penalty. Meanwhile, Andrea Kimi Antonelli began to recover from his poor start. By lap five he had already overtaken Lando Norris and Arvid Lindblad to move into fifth place and started chasing Isack Hadjar. By lap ten, Antonelli had continued to close the gap and was approaching the leading trio.

On lap 12, Isack Hadjar was forced to retire after reporting problems with his car throughout the opening stages of the race. Smoke was seen coming from the rear of the car before he stopped between Turns 10 and 11. As a result, race control deployed a virtual safety car, allowing teams the opportunity to make relatively inexpensive pit stops.

Several drivers immediately took advantage of the situation. George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli both entered the pits, while Ferrari decided to keep Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton on track. After a short period, the virtual safety car ended and the race resumed at full speed.

More misfortune followed shortly afterwards. Fernando Alonso retired from the race on lap 15 after completing only 15 laps, continuing a difficult weekend for Aston Martin. Around the same time, Antonelli gained fourth position after completing his pit stop earlier than rookie Arvid Lindblad, who had stayed out on track.

Another virtual safety car was deployed on lap 19 when Valtteri Bottas stopped his car near the pit lane entry, marking a disappointing end to the race for the Finnish driver and the debuting Cadillac team. Some drivers, including Max Verstappen, managed to enter the pits during the neutralised period, but Ferrari were unable to do so before the pit lane entry was closed.

When the race resumed on lap 20, Verstappen quickly attacked Lindblad and successfully moved ahead, climbing into sixth place after starting from the back of the grid.

Meanwhile, there was a tense moment between former teammates Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. Gasly attempted an overtake at Turn 4, and the pair made slight contact during the move. The incident was later placed under investigation by the stewards.

At the front of the race, the Ferrari drivers continued to delay their first pit stops. However, on lap 26, Leclerc finally came into the pits for a set of hard tyres and rejoined the race in fourth position. Shortly afterwards, Russell closed the gap to Hamilton and overtook him to take the lead of the race on lap 28. Hamilton then entered the pit lane for his own tyre change.

An unusual situation occurred on lap 27 when Alonso briefly returned to the track after initially retiring. The Aston Martin team allowed him to continue in order to gather additional data and mileage, although his participation in the race was only temporary.

Later in the race, debris from Sergio Perez’s car caused another short virtual safety car period on lap 34. The debris was quickly cleared and racing resumed soon afterwards.

At this stage, an important strategic question emerged for Mercedes: whether Russell and Antonelli could complete the race with only one pit stop. Russell believed the strategy was possible, although Antonelli described the plan as “brave”.

Unfortunately for Aston Martin, Alonso’s race finally came to a complete end soon afterwards. More retirements followed, including Lance Stroll, who became the sixth driver to retire from the race on lap 38.

As the race moved into its final stages, George Russell remained in control at the front for Mercedes. By lap 44, he held an advantage of just over six seconds over his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while Charles Leclerc continued to run in third place for Ferrari. Although Leclerc slightly increased his pace in the closing laps, he was unable to reduce the gap to the two Mercedes drivers.

Lando Norris moved up to sixth place after overtaking Arvid Lindblad, while Max Verstappen chased Norris as they fought for position in the final laps. Meanwhile, Oliver Bearman and Lindblad were involved in a tight contest in the midfield, with Bearman managing to hold the position after completing his overtake.

As the race entered its final lap, Russell maintained a comfortable lead and avoided any mistakes. He crossed the finish line to win the Australian Grand Prix, giving Mercedes an excellent start to the season. His team-mate Antonelli finished in second place, completing a strong one-two finish for the team.

Behind them, Leclerc secured third place after successfully defending from his Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who had closed the gap in the final laps but was unable to make a move.

Lando Norris came home in fifth place, just ahead of Max Verstappen in sixth. Oliver Bearman finished seventh for Haas, Arvid Lindblad was eighth for Racing Bulls, Gabriel Bortoleto scored points for Audi in ninth, and Pierre Gasly completed the top ten for Alpine.

2026 F1 Australian Grand Prix full results: