Is Hamilton back? The heroes and villains of the F1 Australian Grand Prix

The 2026 Australian Grand Prix will be largely remembered for the battle between Russell and Leclerc. The two drivers went neck-and-neck at the front, surprising the fans who woke up early to watch the race.

Race starts need further evaluation. While Leclerc could benefit from it, we have seen multiple cars getting off the line too slowly. Max Verstappen also reported issues with his battery getting depleted on the formation lap.

Franco Colapinto's incident of nearly hitting Liam Lawson was too close for comfort. If the Argentinian had worse reflexes, the narrative would look completely different today.

Is Hamilton back? For the first time in a while, this was a Grand Prix the British driver can truly build on. The seven-time world champion driver also made a late charge to claim his first podium, but he just finished behind his teammate, Leclerc.

Next week, the grid will travel to the circuit where he achieved his biggest success dressed in red. Hamilton can now do that with optimism.

While Mercedes' Mercedes' superior pace could still have prevailed against Ferrari, the Scuderia’s decision not to pit under the two VSC sessions gave them no chance to be in contention for first or second place against Russell and Kimi Antonelli.

The only rookie on the F1 grid managed to score his first points in Australia. There was never any doubt about the Briton finishing inside the Top 10 today, and together with Max Verstappen, he scored the first points of the new Red Bull Ford power unit.

Moreover, Gabriel Bortoleto also scored Audi's first points today.

An unfortunate incident proved too costly for the home favourite. Piastri crashed out on the formation lap, so no Aussie competed today in Melbourne.