Mercedes confirmed the omens: 1-2 in Australia

George Russell took the victory, followed by Kimi Antonelli. Behind, Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, third and fourth.

It was not necessary to have a crystal ball, a pendulum or any esoteric element to know that Mercedes-Benz was the candidate at the start of the 77th Formula 1 season. It was almost a fixture, even though they played hide and seek in pre-season training in Bahrain and on the first day of activity of the Australian GP in Melbournand. The only thing that went out of the script of the Silver Arrows and Toto Wolff was Kimi Antonelli’s blow in the third try. The rest was just like that: when they wanted, they accelerated, flew and dominated. George Russell led the 1-2 of the German cars, followed by Kimi Antonelli, with a good advantage over the rest.

Mercedes appeared as the great candidate especially because when the hybrid era was born, in 2014, they gained an ocean of advantage to win seven titles in a row (six with Lewis Hamilton and one with Nico Rosberg). The power unit of the Silver Arrows, it was sensed, would be the best for 2026. And it is. However, despite the fact that there are eight cars powered by German engines, none of them were close to the complete team. The reason is clear: the Arrows engineers who build the car and the power unit in unison. Instead, customers (McLaren, Alpine and Williams) must wait for the arrival of the engine and work from there. The power unit is exactly the same for all eight cars, as indicated in the regulations, but, as Colapinto said, “when you don’t have the people who make the engine on your team, it is difficult to have the information you want.”

Mercedes crushed and threatens to begin an era of dominance that may once again be that overwhelming one of Hamilton’s golden years. The rest remained far away. Ferrari, also as expected, was the second team. The SF-26 showed the full power of its power unit at the start, with a smaller turbo that charges more quickly, and Charles Lerclerc jumped to the lead from fourth place and Hamilton took third, all in the lead. The first laps were spectacular, with Russell and Leclerc fighting for the lead and passing each other several times. Antonelli’s bad start delayed him and it seemed that it would be an even competition between Ferrari and Mercedes. But those from Maranello failed again in an area in which they usually make mistakes: strategy. Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull was thrown to the side on the tenth lap and everyone took the opportunity to go to the pits to change tires. Well, not all of them, Ferrari left its two cars on the track. The mistake was because at least one of the two red cars should have stopped to have two different strategies and ensure the fight for success. Even Hamilton demanded on the radio that no one stop. Maybe if Ferrari decided to split strategies with its two cars, the result would be the same. Nobody will know. Leclerc completed the podium 15s519s behind Russell and Hamilton was fourth, 16s144s back.

From there, a whole life. As predicted in the preseason, the big four were with Mercedes at the front, Ferrari at the back and McLaren and Red Bull fighting for the third and fourth place. And so they arrived, with Lando Norris fifth, 2s876 ahead of sixth, Max Verstappen.

Those from Woking and those from Milton Keynes reached the end with only one car, but in different circumstances. Oscar Piastri, the champion’s teammate, couldn’t even start after destroying his McLaren in the open pit lanes before setting up the grid. Isack Hadjar was the protagonist of the race and aimed to fight for the podium, when a power unit failure left him stranded. Norris closed an opaque premiere of the number 1 painted on his car and Verstappen was one of the main protagonists, after starting 20th and advancing to sixth.

The first race of the new regulations passed. They started 20 cars instead of 22 (the Piastri accident was compounded by a problem with Nico Hülkenberg’s Audi, who was taken off the grid). Valtteri Bottas stopped with his Cadillac and the Aston Martins were left on another planet and taking care of the few elements they have. In five days the second date will begin in China and due to the limited time available it is difficult for the panorama to change. Mercedes will continue with its dominance, Ferrari will be waiting, others will try to get closer and some will try to leave the pits.