Round 1 · 8 March 2026
2026 Australian Grand Prix: results
George Russell (Mercedes) won the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, round 1 of the championship, held on 8 March 2026 at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit (Australia), starting from position 1. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) completed the podium. He won from pole. The fastest lap was set by Max Verstappen (1:22.091).
Final classification
| Pos | Driver | Team | Grid | Time / gap | Pts | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1 | 1:23:06.801 | 25 | Finished |
| 2 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 2 | +2.974 s | 18 | Finished |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 4 | +15.519 s | 15 | Finished |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 7 | +16.144 s | 12 | Finished |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 6 | +51.741 s | 10 | Finished |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 20 | +54.617 s | 8 | Finished |
| 7 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 12 | — | 6 | Lapped |
| 8 | Arvid Lindblad | RB F1 Team | 9 | — | 4 | Lapped |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 10 | — | 2 | Lapped |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine F1 Team | 14 | — | 1 | Lapped |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 13 | — | — | Lapped |
| 12 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 15 | — | — | Lapped |
| 13 | Liam Lawson | RB F1 Team | 8 | — | — | Lapped |
| 14 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine F1 Team | 16 | — | — | Lapped |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 21 | — | — | Lapped |
| 16 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac F1 Team | 18 | — | — | Lapped |
| 17 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 22 | — | — | Lapped |
| 18 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 17 | — | — | Retired |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac F1 Team | 19 | — | — | Retired |
| 20 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 3 | — | — | Retired |
| 21 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 5 | — | — | Did not start |
| 22 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | 11 | — | — | Did not start |
Tyres and strategy at the Australian Grand Prix 2026
George Russell won with 1 pit stop(s): medium (laps 1-12), hard (laps 13-58). The top ten used 3 different strategies. Estimated degradation by compound (ms per lap lost by the tyre, fuel excluded): soft 73 ± 10, hard 44 ± 3.
- 1. George Russell: medium (laps 1-12), hard (laps 13-58)
- 2. Andrea Kimi Antonelli: medium (laps 1-12), hard (laps 13-58)
- 3. Charles Leclerc: medium (laps 1-25), hard (laps 26-58)
- 4. Lewis Hamilton: medium (laps 1-28), hard (laps 29-58)
- 5. Lando Norris: medium (laps 1-11), hard (laps 12-34), medium (laps 35-58)
Data from FastF1; the degradation is an estimate from Formuradar's tyre analysis and the full lap-by-lap view is in the race analysis.