George Russell struck the first blow in the Formula One championship for Mercedes when he claimed victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix ahead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli and held off early competition from Ferrari.
After dominating qualifying, pole-sitter Russell’s first win at Albert Park underlined Mercedes’ promising pre-season form while giving the team their first Melbourne win since Valtteri Bottas claimed the 2019 race.
“Good job everyone, it’s been a long time since we’ve been here,” he said over the team radio.
The Briton finished almost three seconds ahead of Antonelli, with Charles Leclerc more than 15 seconds behind on a cloudy afternoon at the lakeside circuit on Sunday.
It was a difficult day for McLaren, with home hero Oscar Piastri’s race ending before it had even started with a crash during the reconnaissance session 40 minutes before the start.
Teammate and defending champion Lando Norris finished fifth, one place behind seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari. Four-time champion Max Verstappen was sixth for Red Bull after starting 20th on the grid following a qualifying crash on Saturday.
