The Australian Grand Prix ended with a victory for George Russell. The Mercedes driver crossed the finish line in first place at Melbourne, securing the opening win of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The podium was completed by Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc, who finished behind the British driver to round out the top three.
Let us take a closer look at how the Formula 1 drivers’ championship standings and the constructors’ championship standings look after the first race of the 2026 season in Australia.
The race weekend already delivered a major twist even before the start. Oscar Piastri crashed into the wall during the formation laps, meaning the Australian driver started his season with zero points in front of his home crowd. It was a very disappointing beginning to the championship for the McLaren driver.
After Piastri’s incident, several additional retirements occurred during the race due to reliability problems, something that had been widely expected in the build-up to the event. During the early races of the season this scenario will probably repeat itself, with teams needing to consider the strong possibility of multiple Virtual Safety Car situations appearing during the race.
Indeed, the Virtual Safety Car played a decisive role during this Grand Prix. Mercedes managed to gain a strategic advantage over Ferrari thanks to an early pit stop while Isack Hadjar was stopped off the track. The German manufacturer dominated the race as many had predicted ahead of the event and begins the 2026 Formula 1 season at the top of the standings.
Drivers’ standings after the 2026 Australian Grand Prix
Since this was the opening race of the season, the Formula 1 drivers’ standings naturally mirror the exact finishing order of the Australian Grand Prix. George Russell therefore starts the championship campaign in first place following his victory in Melbourne.
George Russell (Mercedes) – 25 points
Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 18 points
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 15 points
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 12 points
Lando Norris (McLaren) – 10 points
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 8 points
Oliver Bearman (Haas) – 6 points
Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – 4 points
Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – 2 points
Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 1 point
Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 0 points
Alex Albon (Williams) – 0 points
Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 0 points
Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 0 points
Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 0 points
Sergio Perez (Cadillac) – 0 points
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 0 points
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 0 points
Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – 0 points
Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – 0 points
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 0 points
Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – 0 points
Constructors’ standings after the 2026 Australian Grand Prix
Mercedes – 43 points
Ferrari – 27 points
McLaren – 10 points
Red Bull – 8 points
Haas – 6 points
Racing Bulls – 4 points
Audi – 2 points
Alpine – 1 point
Williams – 0 points
Cadillac – 0 points
Aston Martin – 0 points
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