Leclerc storms into the lead as Mercedes drivers fumble start in Australia

Photo: Race Pictures

Updated: 05:13, 08 Mar

Henry Eccles is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs, and features across the F1 calendar. Since joining in 2026, he has produced high-volume reporting on the sport’s biggest stories, alongside feature pieces including analysis and historical content.

Charles Leclerc stormed into the lead on the opening lap of the Australian Grand Prix after a brilliant start saw him jump ahead of the front-running Mercedes duo.

Sunday’s race had already descended into chaos before the lights even went out, as the home favourite crashed on the way to the grid in Melbourne.

Charles Leclecr - Photo: Race Pictures

The McLaren driver was later confirmed to be okay after his car snapped upon touching the kerb at Turn 4, heavily damaging the right-hand side of his MCL40.

Leclerc was not the only Ferrari driver to make a flying start, with Lewis Hamilton also surging into the top three after starting seventh at Albert Park.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, however, was the biggest mover on the opening lap, climbing into the top 10 from 16th on the grid.

Further down the order, several drivers gained positions on the opening lap, including Max Verstappen, who climbed up the field after starting from 20th place on the grid.

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Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	72
2	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	63
3	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	49
4	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	41
5	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	25
6	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	21
7	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	17
8	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	15
9	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	12
10	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	10
11	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	4
12	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	4
13	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
14	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	2
15	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	1
16	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	1
17	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
18	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	0
19	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
20	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
21	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0

Pos.

Driver

Team

Points

MER

MER

FER

FER