George Russell tees up F1 title with storming Australian GP victory

George Russell cantered to a season-opening Australian Grand Prix victory, spearheading a first in Mercedes history for 71 years.

In leading home team-mate Kimi Antonelli at Melbourne's Albert Park, it was Mercedes' first one-two finish - without Lewis Hamilton - since 1955.

The last three drivers to have won the season-opening grand prix have all gone on to win the drivers' title. Can Russell make it four in a row?

Mercedes did not have it all their own way, though, certainly in the early exchanges after Antonelli went backwards at the start, leaving Russell to fight for the lead with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with moments when Lewis Hamilton was also drawn into the conversation.

Yet Ferrari, as in past seasons, appeared to make another strategic error by not calling in either Leclerc or Hamilton when they were running one-two themselves after Russell had pitted on the first of those.

Instead, the duo were forced to settle for third and fourth, 16 seconds adrift of Russell, who took the chequered flag just under three seconds clear of Antonelli.

Behind the leading quartet, McLaren's Lando Norris held off Max Verstappen in his Red Bull for fifth, the latter having made his way up from 20th after his crash in the first session of qualifying on Saturday.

For Norris' team-mate, Oscar Piastri, his race was over before it had even begun. On his reconnaissance lap to the grid, Piastri did nothing more than touch the flat kerb on the exit of Turn 4, leading to him spinning around and smashing the front-right of his car into a barrier.

Hadjar retires

Nico Hulkenberg was another early casualty as the Audi driver encountered a technical issue with his Audi that initially indicated he would start from the pit lane, but the veteran German did not make it out of the garage.

At the start, and from fourth on the grid, the rocket start expected from Ferrari fully materialised as from fourth on the grid, Charles Leclerc scythed his way through into the lead coming out of Turn 1.

As for seventh-placed Hamilton, whilst initially third on the approach into the first corner, he was edged wide and dropped to fifth on exit, but by the end of the first lap had forced his way past Red Bull's Isack Hadjar and rookie Arvid Lindblad in his Racing Bulls as he had made a stunning start from ninth.

What followed was an enthralling strategic game between Leclerc and Russell as to when to deploy the electrical power at their disposal in this new era, and when to hit the overtake and boost modes.

In the opening 10 laps, there were seven changes of lead between the two, one of which saw Russell engaged in a major lock-up into Turn 1, resulting in him flat-spotting his front left tyre, an incident that drew Hamilton into the front-running battle.

A few laps later, Russell, amongst others, was allowed to rid himself of that rubber as a virtual safety car was called when Hadjar's Red Bull ground to a halt, forcing him to pull over onto the grass.

Russell was joined by team-mate Antonelli, ditching the medium tyres for the hards, yet Leclerc and Hamilton were told to stay out.

Fernando Alonso appeared to retire soon after as he made his way into his pit box. Aston Martin, however, later confirmed that in dropping two laps to the field, they made "some adjustments" to his AMR26 before sending him out again.

Valtteri Bottas soon definitely joined the growing list of retirees, with his Cadillac bizarrely parked on the grass adjacent to the entrance to the pit lane.

It brought into play a second VSC, and again, the leading Ferrari pair did not pit. On this occasion, after Bottas had stepped from the car, and a group of marshals began to push it, race control was forced to close the pit lane.

Both Astons out

When the pit lane reopened, the Ferrari and Mercedes pairs were followed by Norris and Verstappen, who had made his way up to sixth, including a stop during the first VSC, when he swapped his race-starting hard Pirellis for a set of mediums. 

On lap 27, Leclerc finally ditched his medium tyres, propelling Hamilton into the lead, but not for long, as he was passed by Russell on the following lap. Unsurprisingly, Hamilton pitted moments later.

With the Ferraris dropping to third and fourth after the Scuderia opted not to take advantage of either VSC, it left Leclerc in third, and Hamilton fourth, 13 and 20.5 seconds adrift respectively of leader Russell.

It became a question of whether Russell and Antonelli could make it to the end, a move described as "brave" when asked over the radio on lap 34 whether it was possible.

A lap later, there was a third - and short - VSC to recover the left-hand bargeboard off Sergio Perez's Cadillac after it had flown off at Turn 8.

It was not long before Aston Martin eventually retired Alonso, with team-mate Lance Stroll following a few laps later, reducing the field to 16 on track with just over 20 laps remaining.

With 14 laps remaining, Russell was told he would be going to the end, at that stage with a 16-second cushion to Leclerc in third, and with only a few tenths of a second lap difference between them.

Yet through to the flag, Russell and Antonelli were never troubled, finishing comfortably clear of Leclerc and Hamilton.

Behind Norris and Verstappen, Haas driver Oliver Bearman was seventh, with Lindblad eighth, followed by Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto and Pierre Gasly in his Alpine.