Mercedes dominated Melbourne to open 2026. Russell led a 1-2 ahead of Antonelli after Ferrari's gamble to stay out through two VSC periods backfired. Verstappen recovered from P20 to P6 with the fastest lap.
Strategy and race factors that shaped the result for drivers who finished behind Russell.
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| POS | Driver | Strategy | Time | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russell Mercedes-AMG Petronas P -2.0%T 0.90O 1.05 | MโHL12 | 1:23:06.801 | +0.000 | โถ Simulate |
| 2 | Antonelli Mercedes-AMG Petronas P -1.7%T 0.93O 1.08 | MโHL12 | 1:23:09.775 | +2.974 | โถ Simulate |
| 3 | Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari HP P -1.6%T 0.92O 1.08 | MโHL25 | 1:23:22.320 | +15.519 | โถ Simulate |
| 4 | Hamilton Scuderia Ferrari HP P -1.5%T 0.86O 1.15 | MโHL28 | 1:23:22.945 | +16.144 | โถ Simulate |
| 5 | Norris McLaren Mastercard P -1.4%T 0.95O 1.10 | MโHL11โML34 | 1:23:58.542 | +51.741 | โถ Simulate |
| 6 | Verstappen Oracle Red Bull Racing P -2.2%T 0.92O 1.25 | SโHL18 | 1:24:01.418 | +54.617 | โถ Simulate |
| 7 | Bearman Haas F1 Team P 0.5%T 1.00O 1.00 | MโHL18 | 0:00.000 | +1 LAP | โถ Simulate |
| 8 | Lindblad Visa Cash App Racing Bulls P 1.0%T 1.05O 0.95 | MโHL18 | 0:00.000 | +1 LAP | โถ Simulate |
| 9 | Bortoleto Audi Revolut P 1.0%T 0.98O 1.05 | MโHL18โSL33 | 0:00.000 | +1 LAP | โถ Simulate |
| 10 | Gasly BWT Alpine P 0.8%T 0.98O 1.00 | MโHL11 | 0:00.000 | +1 LAP | โถ Simulate |