Who won the Australian Grand Prix?

Mercedes seizes control in Melbourne

George Russell took the checkered flag to win the Australian Grand Prix, delivering a strong start to the Formula 1 season for Mercedes. The result turned the opening round into a clear team success: Russell finished first with teammate Kimi Antonelli bringing the other Mercedes home in second, producing a one-two finish for the team.

The race was notable for a chaotic opening sequence that reshaped the running order. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri — the hometown favorite — suffered a dramatic crash on the formation lap and was forced out before the race even started. That incident removed a key local contender and altered the strategies teams planned for the opening stint.

Russell’s win was helped by a well-timed response to an early virtual safety car window. That period shuffled pit-stop timing and allowed Mercedes to take advantage of track position while rivals, notably Ferrari, made strategy calls that didn’t pay off. Race coverage and post-race analysis have pointed to Ferrari’s strategy as a misstep that cost competitive track position and ultimately contributed to Mercedes’ ability to control the race.

Key takeaways:

• Mercedes delivered a dominant team performance with a 1-2 finish.
• Russell converted early-season pace into a win by navigating the race’s strategic upheaval.
• Oscar Piastri’s pre-start crash removed a major local storyline and altered the competitive picture.

What it means going forward: Mercedes heads into the next rounds with clear momentum and useful data on how the new cars behave in traffic and under safety-car-affected stints. Ferrari will look to regroup after a strategy call that undermined its prospects in Melbourne. For teams and drivers, the first race underscored how quickly fortunes can change when pre-race incidents and early caution periods interact with pit strategies.