Russell wins, but these are not the cars fans want to watch
George Russell won the first race of the new Formula 1 era in Melbourne, leading home a Mercedes one two ahead of Kimi Antonelli. Ferrari at least made life difficult for the silver arrows for part of the race, with Charles Leclerc finishing third and Lewis Hamilton fourth after both made brilliant starts. And that is the good part.
The bad part is the new format. Formula 1 should be about drivers pushing flat out and cars flying down the straights and through the fast corners. What we saw instead was too often the opposite, drivers lifting, saving battery, recharging, and trying to manage energy windows lap after lap. Some call it “super clipping”, but there is nothing super about watching an F1 car slow down on a straight because the system demands it.
The new 2026 rules put a near 50 50 split between combustion and battery power, and that has made energy management one of the main stories of every lap. Yes, the race had action. There were lead changes early on, strategy mattered, Verstappen came back from 20th to sixth, and Ferrari showed better race pace than expected after qualifying. But too much of the show was still built around battery calculation instead of pure racing instinct. For fans at home, and especially for casual fans, it risks becoming confusing rather than exciting. You should not need a glossary and an engineering briefing to understand why one car suddenly loses speed halfway down a straight.
Ferrari can still leave Melbourne with some encouragement. Leclerc jumped into the lead at the start and both red cars were aggressive and competitive in the first phase of the race. In the end Mercedes was simply stronger and used the Virtual Safety Car much better, a key moment that helped decide the race. Leclerc later said Ferrari’s choice not to stop earlier was a conscious gamble, not a mistake. The drivers themselves are already saying it clearly. Max Verstappen has called these cars “anti-racing” and said they feel like “Formula E on steroids”. Lando Norris went even further, saying Formula 1 has gone from “the best cars ever made” to “probably the worst”. That is not random frustration after one bad afternoon. That is a serious warning from drivers who know exactly what Formula 1 should feel like. Norris also explained the problem in the clearest way possible. Sometimes pushing harder does not make you faster, it only drains the battery and makes you slower later in the lap. He even said he was looking down at the steering wheel so much during qualifying to manage battery targets that he did not see debris on track. He has also warned that the new system could create dangerous situations. So yes, the opening race was eventful. But spectacular and natural are not the same thing.
Formula 1 is supposed to be fast, brutal and easy to feel, even before it is easy to explain. Right now, the 2026 rules risk making the sport slower to understand and less exciting to watch. And that should worry Formula 1 more than any team result from Melbourne.
Race results – Australian GP 2026
1. George Russell (Mercedes)
2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
8. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
11. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
12. Alexander Albon (Williams)
13. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
14. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
15. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
16. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
17. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
18. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
19. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
20. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
21. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
22. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
Drivers’ Championship standings
1. George Russell (Mercedes) – 25
2. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 18
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 15
4. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 12
5. Lando Norris (McLaren) – 10
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 8
7. Oliver Bearman (Haas) – 6
8. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – 4
9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – 2
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 1
Constructors’ Championship standings
1. Mercedes – 43
2. Ferrari – 27
3. McLaren – 10
4. Red Bull – 8
5. Haas – 6
6. Racing Bulls – 4
7. Audi – 2
8. Alpine – 1
Written by: Marco Rimola