Mercedes’ George Russell Wins Season Opening Australian Grand Prix

George Russell produced a composed drive to win a chaotic season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, leading home Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli in a 1–2 finish after a fierce early battle with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

The pole-sitting Briton crossed the line 2.974 seconds ahead at Melbourne’s Albert Park circuit, with Leclerc finishing third and Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton fourth in a race that provided the first competitive test of Formula One’s new-look cars.

World champion Lando Norris was fifth for McLaren, more than 51 seconds behind the leader, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen staged an impressive recovery to finish sixth after starting 20th following a crash in qualifying.