Mercedes leads early in F1
Mercedes won both the Australian and Chinese races to open the 2026 F1 season while McLaren’s Lando Norris finished fifth in Australia and teammate Oscar Piastri has yet to start a race this year due to technical issues — Piastri described Mercedes’ edge as ‘nothing magical.’ (motorsport.com)
George Russell converted pole into victory at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, crossing the line 2.974 seconds ahead of his Mercedes team-mate after 58 laps. (formula1.com) McLaren’s Oscar Piastri crashed on his reconnaissance lap to the grid in Melbourne after reporting an unexpected power surge, which the team later linked to an approximate 100kW spike that combined with cold tyres to make the car snap into the barrier. (formula1.com) (speedcafe.com) Andrea Kimi Antonelli became Formula 1’s youngest-ever Grand Prix polesitter at 19 in Shanghai and converted that pole into his maiden F1 victory, finishing 5.515 seconds clear of George Russell. (fia.com) (formula1.com) Both McLaren cars were recorded as DNS in Shanghai: Lando Norris never left the garage after a fault was found roughly 90 minutes before the start, while Piastri was wheeled back into the pits minutes before lights-out with suspected electrical issues on the power unit. (abc.net.au) After two rounds the official standings show George Russell leading the drivers’ table on 51 points with Kimi Antonelli on 47, and Mercedes atop the constructors’ classification on 98 points. (formula1.com 1) (formula1.com 2)
