Oscar Piastri out of home grand prix after crash in warm-up
“I think last year, even though the result wasn’t what I wanted, I felt there were a lot of positives to the weekend. This year obviously the disappointment is even greater.”
“But I think we’ve done a lot of things well so far. We need to identify some things that we need to change and do a better job. But through practice and qualifying, I felt pretty comfortable, as comfortable as I can in these cars.”
McLaren team principal Zak Brown spoke briefly on Sky Sports during the race, saying he and the McLaren brain trust had noticed a “torque increase” as Piastri’s car struggled to balance hybrid electric and internal combustion power.
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Brown has not spoken to Piastri since the start of the race but confirmed information on Piastri’s start will be extensive
There were no Australians on the Albert Park podium; Except for Daniel Ricciardo, who was disqualified in 2014. While Piastri was in contention at last year’s race, he returned from his home grand prix and rallied to finish 9th. Drought in Australia will continue until at least 2027.
Seven years into his Formula 1 career, Mercedes driver George Russell was finally in the right place at the right time.
On Sunday the British driver crossed the finish line to clinch his first Australian Grand Prix title in a dramatic race marred by numerous crashes, red flags and engine and power-related problems.
The 28-year-old, who made his debut in a tough Williams team at Albert Park in 2019, had been waiting for such a car his entire career. Now he understands. However, he had to battle a resurgent Ferrari in the first half of the race.
When the red lights went out, Russell, who was sitting on the pole, shot forward, but Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc managed to take the lead. Ferrari’s 2026 engine has a smaller turbocharger than its rivals, meaning it runs faster than larger turbochargers and has less turbo lag, giving them the ability to overtake quickly at the start of the race.
While Lewis Hamilton made an escape move on the grass, Russell fell behind desperately trying to catch Leclerc in second.
Both Russell and Leclerc replaced the race leader multiple times during the race as spectators watched two of the greatest teams in F1 history go head-to-head.
Two more losses occurred in the race when Red Bull driver Isack Hadjar and Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas retired from the race, causing a safety car, and a pitstop interfered with their strategy.
Claiming to have won his first Australian Grand Prix and claimed his sixth Grand Prix victory, Russell was ecstatic and shouted over the radio “It’s beautiful, I like this car”. His teammate Kimi Antonelli was second and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was third.
With Lewis Hamilton at the helm, Mercedes owned the grid from 2014 to 2020 and it looks like the Silver Arrows team is now back and ready to conquer.
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