British driver George Russell won this Sunday (8) the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix, held at the Albert Park Circuit, located in the city of Melbourne, and secured the first victory of the season for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.
Russell led the German team one-two by crossing the finish line ahead of his teammate, Italian Kimi Antonelli. Third place went to Monegasque Charles Leclerc, from Ferrari.
The race, which opened the Formula 1 season, also saw seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finish fourth, followed by McLaren F1 Team’s Lando Norris in fifth place.
Current world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing finished sixth. Among the highlights of the intermediate field, Briton Oliver Bearman was seventh, while Arvid Lindblad was eighth.
Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto finished in ninth place with the Audi F1 Team, adding points in the opening stage of the championship.
An incident marred the race even before the start. During the reconnaissance lap, Australian Oscar Piastri, from McLaren, locked his tires on the exit curb of turn four, lost control of the car and crashed hard against the barrier; approximately 40 minutes before the start of the test.
The impact damaged the front right wheel, the front wing and the nose of the car, compromising the driver’s participation in the stage held in Melbourne.
