George Russell won the Australian Grand Prix, leading teammate Kimi Antonelli to a dominant 1–2 finish for Mercedes-Benz. The Briton controlled the closing stages despite ageing tyres and crossed the line 2.9 seconds ahead of Antonelli to secure his sixth Formula 1 victory and give Mercedes the perfect start to the new season.

The race began with an exciting battle at the front as Charles Leclerc made a strong start for Ferrari, jumping from fourth on the grid to take the lead from Russell. The two drivers traded positions during the early laps before strategy became the decisive factor in the race.

Mercedes opted to pit both Russell and Antonelli during a Virtual Safety Car triggered by Isack Hadjar stopping his Red Bull Racing car. Ferrari chose to keep Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton out on track, even when a second VSC occurred after the retirement of Valtteri Bottas in the Cadillac. When Ferrari eventually made their stops, the Mercedes pair returned to the front.

Despite Ferrari having fresher tyres in the final phase, Leclerc and Hamilton were unable to close the gap enough to challenge the leaders and finished third and fourth. Reigning champion Lando Norris finished fifth for McLaren after teammate Oscar Piastri spun off before the start and could not take part in his home race.

Further down the field, Max Verstappen produced a strong recovery drive from 20th to sixth for Red Bull. Ollie Bearmanfinished seventh for Haas, while rookie Arvid Lindblad scored points on his debut in eighth. Gabriel Bortoleto was ninth in Audi’s first works race and Pierre Gasly took the final point for Alpine, as Sergio Perez completed the race to mark Cadillac’s first appearance in Formula 1.

20206 Australian Grand Prix: Race Results