George Russell claims Australian Grand Prix victory after battle with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for first place – as Aussie F1 star Oscar Piastri crashes out

George Russell made a chaotic start to the Australian Grand Prix to claim the perfect start to his world title challenge.

The Briton started on pole position but swapped the lead for Ferrari’s super-fast-starting Charles Leclerc. The duo swapped the lead six times in the first nine laps, but lo and behold, Ferrari then conspired to fall asleep on the pit wall. Put aside the melatonin pills, guys.

Russell is likely to win at Albert Park even though his Mercedes are quick, but Ferrari were right to fight when the virtual safety car appeared after Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull went up in smoke. There was no major drama there, but it did provide a chance to be taken.

Russell was called up one lap later than teammate Kimi Antonelli and raced again. It was the right move. The Ferrari couple of Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who took first and third place in the race, were left out.

As Hamilton said over the radio: ‘At least one of us should have gone in.’

Quite true. But it was too late now.

The British driver (second from right) started on pole position but swapped the lead for Ferrari’s super-fast-starting Charles Leclerc (right).

Russell (centre) is likely to win at Albert Park despite his quick Mercedes, but Ferrari were right to fight when the virtual safety car appeared after Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull went up in smoke.

Russell was in the bottom of the 12th; Hamilton will not be able to race without the assistance of the safety car until lap 29. By then, Russell had passed Leclerc to take the lead after 25 laps. Russell then took victory, confirming his status as championship favourite. Antonelli, who started second, finished second; It was a big day for Mercedes on the first day of major rule changes in the sport; Leclerc was third, 20 seconds behind, and Hamilton was fourth, six-tenths behind his teammate on an encouraging day for him.

The chassis and engine were radically remodeled. Power is now made almost 50-50 between an internal combustion engine and electric drive, and is powered by a battery that needs to be recharged and managed with each lap.

Battery charging is achieved in several ways. During braking. By running the engine at high revs (i.e. low gears) in corners. Lifting and docking at the end of the straights.

This was where the excitement set in early on, as Russell, Leclerc and Hamilton took advantage of the new rules to bring in the extra power accumulated at crucial moments in the joust.

By using overtaking mode you burn more energy and then you don’t have as much energy as the driver you are overtaking. This makes you vulnerable to attacks. That’s why the leadership changed hands so many times; Russell once faltered when locked in the pursuit of Leclerc, but most of that was a result of shifting results.

The sport was on trial over the new rules, and the case wasn’t as crazy as many predicted. It wasn’t a bad race.

Russell and Leclerc changed the lead six times in the first nine laps of the race

Melbourne favorite Oscar Piastri crashed at Turn 4 en route to the grid, after which his car was removed from the track

Russell was completely dominant, pole position was a masterclass in composure and he lapped all but the top six, with Lando Norris in fifth and Verstappen sixth from 20th.

The top four teams, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull, are in their own league, miles away from the others, and that’s a problem.

There were three retirees in the race – Hadjar, Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso – while Melbourne favorite Oscar Piastri crashed at Turn 4 en route to the grid. This was not what the crowd of 137,869, many wearing green and gold, had bargained for. Nico Hulkenberg’s Audi was also taken to the garage before the start.

And Aston Martin is a disaster. As well as Alonso’s retirement, Lance Stroll was also brought in for some changes but finished the race 15 laps down, 10 seconds behind. I mean, that’s not very convincing. The big-spending team’s championship dreams are as far away as Pluto.

Russell was completely dominant, pole position was a masterclass in composure and he lapped all but the top six, with Lando Norris in fifth and Verstappen sixth from 20th.

The top four teams, Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull, are in their own league, miles away from the others, and that’s a problem.

British rookie Arvid Lindblad finished eighth in his Racing Bulls debut and it was a good day for him. His compatriot Ollie Bearman finished seventh for Haas.

But it was Russell who punched the air during God Save the King; He had a smile on his face that conveyed his belief that he was the man to beat and could stay that way for a while longer.