George Russell and Kimi Antonelli delivered a dominant one-two for Mercedes in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, living up to their pre-season billing. Russell had to battle Charles Leclerc in the early laps, but once clear, he pulled away with a significant pace advantage. By the final third of the race, both Mercedes drivers eased off, holding the gap to Leclerc at 15 seconds, suggesting they had more in reserve.
Ferrari showed promise, with Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc making blistering starts. However, a slow reaction to a virtual safety car cost them, leaving them third and fourth. Despite this, Ferrari appear to be the second-fastest team and believe they can close the gap to Mercedes as the development battle intensifies.
The new regulations came under heavy fire, particularly the energy management systems. Lando Norris said the cars 'suck' and were the worst he had driven, warning of a major accident. Max Verstappen was scathing about the lift-and-coast techniques, while Leclerc compared the overtaking boost to a Mario Kart mushroom.
F1 trumpeted 120 passes compared with 45 last year, but drivers felt the moves were meaningless, often repassing after energy depletion. Mercedes and Ferrari drivers were more conciliatory, and Toto Wolff noted that the key metric for F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali is whether fans enjoy it.
Rookie Arvid Lindblad impressed on debut for Racing Bulls. The 18-year-old qualified ninth, moved as high as third in the early chaos, and fought hard against four-time champion Max Verstappen before finishing eighth for four points. He finished one place behind Oliver Bearman, who continued his strong form for Haas.
Aston Martin, meanwhile, endured a very public omnishambles at Albert Park, having already appeared under pressure during pre-season testing.
