f1-agws · round 1 · Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit
Australian Grand Prix 2026: Race Pace, Tyre Strategy & Results
George Russell won the Australian Grand Prix 2026 on a 1-stop strategy. RUS took pole. Full analysis: race pace, tyre strategy for every driver, pit stops, degradation and weather.
Australian Grand Prix 2026 result
George Russell (Mercedes) won the Australian Grand Prix on 8 March 2026 from 1st on the grid, round 1 of the 2026 season at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit over 57 laps, in 1:23:06.801. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) finished second, +2.974s behind, and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) completed the podium, +15.519s.
George Russell (Mercedes) started from pole after a 1:18.518 qualifying lap and converted it into the win.
Did not finish: ALO (Retired), BOT (Retired), HAD (Retired), PIA (Did not start), HUL (Did not start).
Race pace
Fastest lap: Max Verstappen, 1:22.091 on lap 43.
Best long run: VER on the Hard averaged 1:22.873 over 14 clean laps, losing 0.057 s per lap.
Biggest gains from the starting grid: VER P20 → P6 (+14), SAI P21 → P15 (+6), BEA P12 → P7 (+5).
Teammate race pace (median lap): the widest gap was at Haas F1 Team, BEA ahead of OCO on the road with 0.620 s per lap between them; the closest pair was RUS and ANT at Mercedes, 0.052 s apart.
Tyre strategy
Winning strategy: RUS made one stop — ? 1-11 · H 12-58.
Compounds: S = Soft, M = Medium, H = Hard, I = Intermediate, W = Wet; numbers are the laps of each stint.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Grid | Result | Tyres |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell (RUS) | Mercedes | 1 | 1:23:06.801 | ? 1-11 · H 12-58 |
| 2 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli (ANT) | Mercedes | 2 | +2.974s | M 1-11 · H 12-58 |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc (LEC) | Ferrari | 4 | +15.519s | M 1-24 · H 25-58 |
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton (HAM) | Ferrari | 7 | +16.144s | M 1-27 · H 28-58 |
| 5 | Lando Norris (NOR) | McLaren | 6 | +51.741s | M 1-10 · H 11-33 · M 34-58 |
| 6 | Max Verstappen (VER) | Red Bull | 20 | +54.617s | H 1-17 · M 18-40 · H 41-58 |
| 7 | Oliver Bearman (BEA) | Haas F1 Team | 12 | +4.593 | M 1-17 · H 18-57 |
| 8 | Arvid Lindblad (LIN) | RB F1 Team | 9 | +11.816 | M 1-17 · H 18-57 |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto (BOR) | Audi | 10 | +12.775 | M 1-17 · H 18-32 · H 33-57 |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly (GAS) | Alpine F1 Team | 14 | +29.027 | ? 1-10 · H 11-57 |
Pit stops and race control
36 pit stops in the race; the quickest trip through the pit lane was LEC's, 17.6 s on lap 25.
Race control: 3 Virtual Safety Car periods.
Tyre degradation
Time lost per lap of tyre age, fitted on clean laps (no pit, in or neutralised laps).
Medium: 0.003 s/lap over 119 clean laps; Hard: 0.041 s/lap over 391 clean laps; Soft: 0.053 s/lap over 86 clean laps.
Weather
Air 23–25 °C, track 33–39 °C, dry throughout.
Explore the sessions in the race dashboard, the championship standings and the 2026 schedule.