Mercedes’ George Russell clinched victory in the season-opening Formula One Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, leading teammate Kimi Antonelli home for a dominant one-two finish after a well-timed pit strategy under the virtual safety car.
Russell, who started from pole position, recovered from a sluggish start and capitalised on Mercedes’ decisive double pit stop during the virtual safety car period to secure the win at Albert Park.
“We knew it was going to be challenging,” Russell said after the race.
“I go onto the grid; I saw my battery level. I have nothing in the tank, made a bad start and honestly some really tight battles with Charles (Leclerc).
“I was really glad to cross the finish line, but honestly, thank you so much for the whole team because it's been a long time coming to have this car beneath us, and I'm yeah, going to start off in a better way.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc briefly seized the lead at the start, making use of a quicker launch to move ahead of Russell at the first corner. The pair traded positions in the early laps before the virtual safety car was deployed on lap 12 following Isack Hadjar’s stranded Red Bull.
Mercedes took advantage of the slower race pace to bring both cars into the pits, a strategic move that proved decisive and ultimately secured the team’s advantage.
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Antonelli fought back impressively after dropping to seventh at the start, weaving through the field to finish second.
“Yeah, the racing was incredible,” Antonelli said.
“The first few laps, the overtake is so powerful that you can give a lot of action. So, it was really good fun at the beginning and yeah, now, a bit of rest and looking forward to China.”
Leclerc settled for third, admitting Mercedes appeared to have stronger pace.
“I don't think so, but maybe I'm wrong,” he said when asked if victory had been possible.
“Yeah, it looked like Mercedes maybe had a bit more pace than us today. But, maybe not as much as what we saw yesterday, so that's a good thing. But I don't think we could have won.”
His teammate Lewis Hamilton finished fourth after pushing hard in the closing laps and voiced frustration over Ferrari’s failure to pit during the safety car phase.
McLaren’s Lando Norris completed the top five, while Max Verstappen delivered a remarkable recovery drive from 20th on the grid to finish sixth.
British driver Oliver Bearman finished seventh for Haas, ahead of rookie Arvid Lindblad, who scored points on his Formula One debut with eighth place. Gabriel Bortoleto secured Audi’s first points in ninth, while Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten for Alpine.
The race also saw heartbreak for local fans as Oscar Piastri crashed out before the start while heading to the grid, ruling him out of his home Grand Prix.
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