Kimi Antonelli Takes P2 as Russell Wins Australia F1 Opener
Mercedes driver George Russell won the season-opening Australian Grand Prix from pole on Sunday, with kimi Antonelli finishing second to complete a 1-2 as Formula 1’s sweeping new regulations debuted in Melbourne. As of Monday at 11: 00 a. m. ET, the rule change and its battery-focused racing style were still drawing sharp reactions from drivers even after Mercedes banked maximum points.
George Russell leads Mercedes 1-2 with kimi Antonelli in Australia
Russell converted pole position into victory despite describing a difficult opening phase that included a poor start and “really tight battles” with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli backed him up in second, giving Mercedes the kind of early-season statement teams chase when a new rules package resets car design across the grid.
Behind the Mercedes pair, Leclerc finished third and Lewis Hamilton took fourth for Ferrari. The result immediately put Mercedes at the center of the early 2026 competitive picture, after locking out the front row in qualifying and then delivering a top-two finish in the race.
Charles Leclerc’s “Mario Kart” quip highlights the new battery-focused racing
The major storyline beyond the result was how the new regulations changed the way drivers attack and defend. The updated rules shift the balance toward battery power that can be deployed with a button on the steering wheel, or replenished by “harvesting” energy and slowing down, creating more overtaking and counter-overtaking sequences that hinge on timing.
Russell said the new tools create “more opportunity” but require drivers to be “more strategic, ” especially on a circuit with multiple straights. He described a pattern where using an overtake mode or “boost button” can produce a pass on one straight, only for the other driver to respond immediately on the next.
During the Russell-Leclerc fight, Leclerc summed up the feel of the new systems in a radio quip: “This is like the mushroom in Mario Kart. ” The comment captured how the battery deployment can resemble a speed-boost mechanic, an analogy that quickly became a shorthand for the polarizing shift in racing style.
Max Verstappen and Lando Norris criticize the 2026 rule change after Melbourne
Not every driver welcomed the new direction. Max Verstappen, a vocal critic of the regulations, said he did not enjoy the race when asked afterward, while also noting that overtakes could be fun even if he felt he was racing slower cars. Verstappen had started 20th after crashing in qualifying and recovered to finish sixth, behind Lando Norris in fifth.
Norris, the reigning world champion, offered a blunt assessment of McLaren’s position after qualifying and called the racing “artificial” because of how heavily it leaned on battery deployment. He said the regulation shift “already sucks, ” adding that the team had “gone from the best cars to the worst. ”
Even with the criticism, the opening weekend delivered immediate stakes: Russell’s win bolstered his hopes of a first drivers’ championship, and Mercedes’ early success reinforced the idea that mastering a fresh regulations set can set the tone for the season.
The next confirmed race is Round 2 in China in one week, with the field set to regroup and return to competition as of Monday at 11: 00 a. m. ET.
