George Russell took a comfortable victory in the Australian Grand Prix at the start of a new era of Formula 1 after a brief early scrap with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Russell and Leclerc staged a close fight for the first 10 laps with frequent lead changes before Ferrari’s decision to stay out during a virtual safety car period took them out of contention for the win.
The Briton led home team-mate Kimi Antonelli while Leclerc had to be satisfied with the final podium position ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
McLaren’s world champion Lando Norris finished fifth, fending off a challenge in the closing laps from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who recovered from 20th on the grid to finish sixth.
Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri crashed on his way to the grid of his home race, losing control over a kerb and spinning into the wall.
Arvid Lindblad, 18, became the youngest Briton to race in F1 and impressed on his debut to take eighth behind countryman Oliver Bearman in the Haas.
The key stories of a race that faded in interest after early excitement were:
- Mercedes’ dominant victory to mark a return to the front of F1 after four difficult years
- Questions over Ferrari’s strategy – again
- Was it racing, or just energy management?
More to follow
