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The dawn of Formula One’s new era was met with precision and skill, as George Russell dominated the track on the first day, showcasing the promise of a season filled with high expectations. With only a fleeting puff of smoke and a single lock-up during the Australian Grand Prix, the British driver demonstrated his prowess, winning with ease and confidence.
Russell’s victory was not just a testament to his skill but also to the impressive speed of the Mercedes team. His confidence is palpable, and he carries himself like a man who is aware of his standing as the early favorite for the championship title. Behind him, team-mate Kimi Antonelli also put in a commendable performance, following Russell’s lead.
The new era of Formula One cars has introduced sleeker and more agile machines, a stark contrast to the previous year’s bulkier models. This evolution in design has brought about a blend of cutting-edge technology and traditional power, with cars now featuring a 50-50 split between battery power and conventional combustion engines.
A noteworthy feature of these new vehicles is the boost button, which drivers can engage when the battery is fully charged, providing an extra burst of power to help them overtake competitors. This technological advancement adds a strategic layer to races, allowing skilled drivers like Russell to maximize their performance on the track.
So far so good. But they are made problematic by the 50-50 split between battery power and old school combustion engine A boost button, when the battery is fully charged, allows an attacking driver to deploy extra juice as he closes on his prey.
George Russell (pictured) got his 2026 Formula One season off with a bang, claiming victory in Melbourne on Sunday
The British driver (second from right) started on pole but exchanged the lead with Ferrari’s super fast-starting Charles Leclerc (right)
It is probable that Russell (centre) would have won at Albert Park anyway, his Mercedes quick, but Ferrari were right in the fight when a virtual safety car came out after Isack Hadjar ’s Red Bull emitted a billow of smokeÂ
This ‘boost button’ is most effective when the pursued driver’s battery (which recharges each lap) is low on energy. It is a gimmick, but one that added some spice to the early laps of the season-opening race.
Russell, who started on pole after an equally clinical qualifying session, exchanged the lead with Leclerc six times in the first nine laps. One would click the switch and surge ahead. The other would then reclaim the advantage.
Both raced well. They were each clean, precise and respectful. However, woke and ludicrous the electrical engines might be.
You can never discount Ferrari spilling spaghetti down their shirts, and so they obliged Russell.
The slip occurred as a virtual safety car came out after Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull engine gave up the ghost. This provided a chance to be capitalised upon.
Thus, Mercedes summoned Russell into the pits to be reshod, to be reshod. It was the right move. The Ferraris, running first and third in a nip-and-tuck battle, stayed out. Error.
Russell and Leclerc swapped the lead six times in the first nine laps of the raceÂ
Melbourne favourite Oscar Piastri crashed at Turn 4 on the way to the grid, his car was subsequently removed from the trackÂ
Russell was totally dominant, his pole a masterclass in calmness, and he lapped all but the top six, comprising Lando Norris in fifth and Verstappen sixth having started 20th
The four top teams, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull are in a league of their own – miles away from the rest, and that is a problem
As Hamilton said over the radio: ‘At least one of us should have come in.’
Quite right. And why not both of them, by the way? Just as the two Mercedes had.
Russell was pitted at the end of lap 12; Hamilton not until lap 29, without the assistance of a pause in racing. By then Russell had passed Leclerc, in after 25 laps, for the lead.
The absurd explanation put forward by Ferrari after the race for their maverick strategy was they believed there could be another, more timely, safety car and they would grab the free stop then.
But why not grab the one they had. After all, there was no guarantee that an additional safety car, virtual of otherwise, would show up at a timely moment.
The decision to keep their men out saw them drop to third and fourth.
Russell, who now leads the championship for the first time in his career, said he won after a ‘hell of fight’. True, but one confined to the early stages of action. He can thank Ferrari for that fact reprieve.
It was a promising day for Hamilton, and that is a sensation he can barely remember. Still podium-free in his Ferrari career, he is determined not be so down on himself under the new regulations, a page turned.
Watched by his mother Brenda, he seemed much happier and at times three-tenths faster than Leclerc.
‘There are no mixed emotions,’ said Hamilton, speaking in the media pen afterwards. ‘I feel great. We got a third and fourth and ultimately Mercedes were quicker than us.
‘The team did a great job overall. There are lots of positives to take. A couple of more laps and I would have had Charles, so I know we can be fighting for podiums.
Lewis Hamilton enjoyed an encouraging start to his second season with Ferrari
‘I like the new cars.’
It is too early to see if he still has what it takes, aged 41, to win an eighth world title over a gruelling, but there is a flicker of hope in the post ground-effect era.
Content that Ferrari are second quickest, and have lightning starts, with Red Bull McLaren a touch below the top two, he said: ‘We’re right in the fight. We’ve got a lot of work to do to catch Mercedes but it’s not impossible.’
A good debut by Arvid Lindblad, the 18-year-old born and raised in Virginia Water, Surrey, to a Swedish father and British Indian mother. He finished eighth for Racing Bulls, a place behind his compatriot Ollie Bearman of Haas. A good day for the Brits all around then.
But the official driver of the day was Max Verstappen, who stormed through the field from 20th to finish sixth.
Aston Martin, what a disaster. As well as Fernando Alonso’s retirement, Lance Stroll was pulled in for some changes but was 15 laps back when his agony ended. I mean, that is barely credible. The big-spending team’s dreams of the title remain as distant as Pluto.
The car is deficient, the Honda engine even worse. It vibrates so badly it was feared it might induce nerve damage. Just as paying Adrian Newey £25million a year hardly looks value for money right now, for all his genius as a designer.
PS. Half the crowd were decked out in green and gold tops and hats – or McLaren papaya – and most of the 137,869 souls were supporting home favourite Oscar Piastri.
Only snag, he did not make it to the start. The Melburnian crashed on his way to the grid, at Turn 4.
The Australian apologised to the fans, explaining a ‘big element of it that was me’, but also that cold tyres and extra power from the new engines contributed to the crash.
‘I have used that exit curb every lap of the weekend, but I didn’t have to,’ he said. ‘At the same time, I had about a hundred kilowatts of extra power that I didn’t expect, which is not insignificant.’