Round 1 · Melbourne · 8 March 2026
Australian Grand Prix 2026
Race analysis
George Russell won by 3.0 seconds. 8 of 17 finishers made a single stop. On clean laps, though, Kimi Antonelli had the strongest pace.
- Winner
- George Russell
- Mercedes
- Winning margin
- 2.974 s
- to Kimi Antonelli
- Most common strategy
- One-stop
- 8 of 17 finishers
- Longest stint
- 47 laps
- George Russell, Hard
Conditions
Dry race. Track temperature 34–39 °C.
- Air
- 24–25 °C
- Track
- 34–39 °C
- Humidity
- 53 %
- Rain
- None
Source: OpenF1 weather station data, averaged per lap of the race winner. Wind on average 2.8 m/s.
How the race unfolded
Running order after every lap. Biggest climber: Max Verstappen, from P12 after lap 1 to P6. Hover or tap a driver to highlight.
- Driver 1
- Teammate
- Pit stop
- Safety car / VSC
Source: OpenF1 · Chart: paddockcharts.com
Order on track at the end of each lap; the last point is the official result, including penalties. ✕ = retired.
Show data as table
| Driver | After lap 1 | Best | Result | +/− | Pit laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George RUSSELL | 2 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 11 |
| Kimi ANTONELLI | 4 | 2 | 2 | +2 | 11 |
| Charles LECLERC | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 24 |
| Lewis HAMILTON | 3 | 1 | 4 | −1 | 27 |
| Lando NORRIS | 3 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 10, 33 |
| Max VERSTAPPEN | 12 | 5 | 6 | +6 | 17, 40 |
| Oliver BEARMAN | 9 | 7 | 7 | +2 | 17 |
| Arvid LINDBLAD | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 17 |
| Gabriel BORTOLETO | 8 | 7 | 9 | −1 | 17, 32 |
| Pierre GASLY | 6 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 10 |
| Esteban OCON | 5 | 5 | 11 | −6 | 10 |
| Alexander ALBON | 10 | 10 | 12 | −2 | 11, 32 |
| Liam LAWSON | 14 | 13 | 13 | +1 | 10, 32 |
| Franco COLAPINTO | 13 | 13 | 14 | −1 | 8, 45 |
| Carlos SAINZ | 11 | 11 | 15 | −4 | 10, 32, 44 |
| Sergio PEREZ | 16 | 14 | 16 | 0 | 17, 42 |
| Lance STROLL | 17 | 17 | FINISHED | – | 10, 25, 33, 38 |
| Fernando ALONSO | 7 | 7 | DNF | – | 10, 12 |
| Valtteri BOTTAS | 15 | 15 | DNF | – | 11 |
| Isack HADJAR | 1 | 1 | DNF | – | – |
| Nico HULKENBERG | – | – | DNS | – | – |
| Oscar PIASTRI | – | – | DNS | – | – |
Gap to the leader
Seconds behind the leader at the end of each lap, top 10 finishers. The gap between the top two peaked at 9.0 s on lap 18.
- Driver 1
- Teammate
- Safety car / VSC
Source: OpenF1 · Chart: paddockcharts.com
Measured when each driver crosses the line. Gaps shrink behind a safety car; pit stops show as sudden jumps.
Show data as table
| Driver | Lap 10 | Lap 20 | Lap 30 | Lap 40 | Lap 50 | Lap 58 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George RUSSELL | +0.9 | +6.9 | Leader | Leader | Leader | – |
| Kimi ANTONELLI | +2.9 | +13.7 | +6.3 | +6.3 | +5.7 | – |
| Charles LECLERC | Leader | Leader | +14.3 | +16.1 | +15.5 | – |
| Lewis HAMILTON | +2.1 | +1.7 | +21.1 | +21.4 | +18.4 | – |
| Lando NORRIS | +31.5 | +28.0 | +26.9 | +54.0 | +52.9 | – |
| Max VERSTAPPEN | +22.9 | +32.7 | +29.0 | +52.7 | +53.7 | – |
| Oliver BEARMAN | +25.0 | +36.2 | +42.4 | +61.0 | +74.8 | – |
| Arvid LINDBLAD | +20.1 | +35.1 | +41.6 | +62.4 | +79.7 | – |
| Gabriel BORTOLETO | +26.3 | +41.3 | +46.8 | +73.6 | +84.5 | – |
| Pierre GASLY | +37.5 | +43.0 | +52.9 | +75.6 | +100.6 | – |
Tyre strategy by finishing position
Each bar is one set of tyres; the number is the stint length in laps. Hover a bar for details.
- SSoft
- MMedium
- HHard
- ?Unknown
Source: OpenF1 · Chart: paddockcharts.com
DNF = did not finish. Lapped drivers end before the final lap.
Show data as table
| Pos | Driver | Team | Stops | Stints (laps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George RUSSELL | Mercedes | 1 | Unknown 11 → Hard 47 |
| 2 | Kimi ANTONELLI | Mercedes | 1 | Medium 11 → Hard 47 |
| 3 | Charles LECLERC | Ferrari | 1 | Medium 24 → Hard 34 |
| 4 | Lewis HAMILTON | Ferrari | 1 | Medium 27 → Hard 31 |
| 5 | Lando NORRIS | McLaren | 2 | Medium 10 → Hard 23 → Medium 25 |
| 6 | Max VERSTAPPEN | Red Bull Racing | 2 | Hard 17 → Medium 23 → Hard 18 |
| 7 | Oliver BEARMAN | Haas F1 Team | 1 | Medium 17 → Hard 40 |
| 8 | Arvid LINDBLAD | Racing Bulls | 1 | Medium 17 → Hard 40 |
| 9 | Gabriel BORTOLETO | Audi | 2 | Medium 17 → Hard 15 → Hard 25 |
| 10 | Pierre GASLY | Alpine | 1 | Unknown 10 → Hard 47 |
| 11 | Esteban OCON | Haas F1 Team | 1 | Unknown 10 → Hard 47 |
| 12 | Alexander ALBON | Williams | 2 | Unknown 11 → Hard 21 → Soft 25 |
| 13 | Liam LAWSON | Racing Bulls | 2 | Unknown 10 → Hard 22 → Soft 25 |
| 14 | Franco COLAPINTO | Alpine | 2 | Hard 8 → Hard 37 → Soft 11 |
| 15 | Carlos SAINZ | Williams | 3 | Soft 10 → Hard 22 → Medium 12 → Soft 12 |
| 16 | Sergio PEREZ | Cadillac | 2 | Unknown 17 → Hard 25 → Soft 13 |
| FINISHED | Lance STROLL | Aston Martin | 4 | Medium 10 → Hard 15 → Soft 8 → Soft 5 → Soft 5 |
| DNF | Fernando ALONSO | Aston Martin | 2 | Soft 10 → Soft 2 → Soft 9 |
| DNF | Valtteri BOTTAS | Cadillac | 1 | Hard 11 → Hard 4 |
| DNF | Isack HADJAR | Red Bull Racing | 0 | Medium 10 |
| DNS | Nico HULKENBERG | Audi | 0 | Hard 1 |
| DNS | Oscar PIASTRI | McLaren | 0 |
Who was quickest in the pits?
Time from pit entry to pit exit for every stop. Ferrari had the fastest median; the quickest single stop was Charles Leclerc on lap 25 (17.6 s).
- One pit stop
- Team median
Source: OpenF1 · Chart: paddockcharts.com
Pit lane time includes driving through the pit lane, so compare stops within a race, not across circuits. Unusually long stops not shown: STR lap 11 (36.7 s), SAI lap 45 (34.6 s), STR lap 18 (33.2 s) and 5 more. 2 pit lane passages during a red flag are excluded.
Show data as table
| Driver | Team | Lap | Pit lane time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles LECLERC | Ferrari | 25 | 17.6 s |
| Lando NORRIS | McLaren | 34 | 17.6 s |
| Charles LECLERC | Ferrari | 18 | 17.7 s |
| Lewis HAMILTON | Ferrari | 28 | 17.7 s |
| Lewis HAMILTON | Ferrari | 18 | 17.7 s |
| George RUSSELL | Mercedes | 12 | 17.8 s |
| Max VERSTAPPEN | Red Bull Racing | 41 | 18.0 s |
| Alexander ALBON | Williams | 12 | 18.1 s |
| Liam LAWSON | Racing Bulls | 33 | 18.2 s |
| Lando NORRIS | McLaren | 11 | 18.2 s |
| Alexander ALBON | Williams | 33 | 18.4 s |
| Esteban OCON | Haas F1 Team | 11 | 18.5 s |
| Arvid LINDBLAD | Racing Bulls | 18 | 18.5 s |
| Franco COLAPINTO | Alpine | 46 | 18.6 s |
| Pierre GASLY | Alpine | 11 | 18.6 s |
| Oliver BEARMAN | Haas F1 Team | 18 | 18.8 s |
| Sergio PEREZ | Cadillac | 43 | 19.0 s |
| Max VERSTAPPEN | Red Bull Racing | 18 | 19.1 s |
| Liam LAWSON | Racing Bulls | 11 | 19.1 s |
| Carlos SAINZ | Williams | 11 | 19.8 s |
| Kimi ANTONELLI | Mercedes | 12 | 21.0 s |
| Sergio PEREZ | Cadillac | 18 | 21.4 s |
| Lance STROLL | Aston Martin | 39 | 22.4 s |
| Lance STROLL | Aston Martin | 46 | 22.5 s |
| Gabriel BORTOLETO | Audi | 33 | 22.6 s |
| Gabriel BORTOLETO | Audi | 18 | 22.6 s |
| Fernando ALONSO | Aston Martin | 11 | 25.9 sunusually long |
| Carlos SAINZ | Williams | 33 | 25.9 sunusually long |
| Franco COLAPINTO | Alpine | 9 | 27.7 sunusually long |
| Valtteri BOTTAS | Cadillac | 12 | 30.4 sunusually long |
| Lance STROLL | Aston Martin | 26 | 33.1 sunusually long |
| Lance STROLL | Aston Martin | 18 | 33.2 sunusually long |
| Carlos SAINZ | Williams | 45 | 34.6 sunusually long |
| Lance STROLL | Aston Martin | 11 | 36.7 sunusually long |
Which tyre held up best?
Lap time trend by tyre age, relative to the start of each stint. Unknown held up best; Soft lost 0.08 s per lap more as it aged.
- ?Unknown
- SSoft
- MMedium
- HHard
Source: OpenF1 · Chart: paddockcharts.com
Median of all clean laps at each tyre age (excludes in/out laps, safety car and outliers; lightly smoothed; tyre ages reached by few stints hidden). Not fuel-corrected: cars get lighter as fuel burns, which hides part of the wear, so compare compounds with each other rather than reading absolute values. Below zero means fuel burn-off outweighed tyre wear.
Show data as table
| Compound | Stints | Trend per lap | Oldest tyre age shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 6 | −0.060 s/lap | 11 laps |
| Soft | 7 | +0.020 s/lap | 12 laps |
| Medium | 12 | −0.024 s/lap | 22 laps |
| Hard | 20 | +0.008 s/lap | 39 laps |
Who had the best race pace?
Kimi Antonelli was quickest on clean laps (median 1:23.017), 0.077 s per lap ahead of Charles Leclerc.
- Median lap
- Middle 50% of laps
Source: OpenF1 · Chart: paddockcharts.com
Clean laps only: excludes lap 1, in- and out-laps, safety car/VSC laps (12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21, 34, 35) and laps slower than 107% of the field median. Not corrected for fuel load or tyre age.
Show data as table
| # | Driver | Median lap | Gap | Middle 50% | Clean laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi ANTONELLI | 1:23.017 | – | 1:22.896 – 1:23.252 | 43 |
| 2 | Charles LECLERC | 1:23.094 | +0.077 s | 1:22.952 – 1:23.660 | 41 |
| 3 | George RUSSELL | 1:23.106 | +0.089 s | 1:22.886 – 1:23.645 | 43 |
| 4 | Lewis HAMILTON | 1:23.108 | +0.091 s | 1:22.670 – 1:24.052 | 40 |
| 5 | Lando NORRIS | 1:23.435 | +0.418 s | 1:22.919 – 1:24.079 | 42 |
| 6 | Max VERSTAPPEN | 1:23.491 | +0.474 s | 1:23.052 – 1:24.096 | 40 |
| 7 | Gabriel BORTOLETO | 1:24.541 | +1.525 s | 1:24.326 – 1:25.235 | 40 |
| 8 | Oliver BEARMAN | 1:24.692 | +1.675 s | 1:24.500 – 1:25.397 | 41 |
| 9 | Arvid LINDBLAD | 1:24.863 | +1.846 s | 1:24.671 – 1:25.406 | 41 |
| 10 | Liam LAWSON | 1:25.168 | +2.151 s | 1:24.230 – 1:25.872 | 40 |
| 11 | Pierre GASLY | 1:25.203 | +2.186 s | 1:24.848 – 1:26.015 | 40 |
| 12 | Esteban OCON | 1:25.228 | +2.211 s | 1:24.801 – 1:25.913 | 41 |
| 13 | Alexander ALBON | 1:25.564 | +2.547 s | 1:24.858 – 1:26.399 | 40 |
| 14 | Franco COLAPINTO | 1:25.670 | +2.653 s | 1:25.168 – 1:26.702 | 36 |
| 15 | Carlos SAINZ | 1:25.974 | +2.957 s | 1:25.195 – 1:26.928 | 36 |
| 16 | Sergio PEREZ | 1:27.438 | +4.421 s | 1:26.933 – 1:28.411 | 36 |
| 17 | Fernando ALONSO | 1:27.450 | +4.433 s | 1:26.854 – 1:27.995 | 10 |
| 18 | Lance STROLL | 1:27.463 | +4.447 s | 1:26.332 – 1:28.077 | 22 |