Australian Grand Prix result: George Russell beats Kimi Antonelli as a new era for Formula 1 begins

Russell’s pole position – 0.8 seconds behind the fastest non-Mercedes car – sent shockwaves through the circuit on Saturday but the race was initially much closer than qualifying.

Both Ferrari drivers made their expected electric start, with Leclerc jumping from fourth on the grid to take the lead at the first corner.

Russell succeeded in passing the Ferrari on the second lap between turns 10 and 11 using additional electrical power.

But Leclerc was not going to go down without a fight and he passed the Mercedes in similar fashion on his way into Turn Nine on lap three.

Russell tracked Leclerc closely, challenging him into Turn 1 on lap nine but was blocked by the Ferrari driver and left Russell fighting to retain his position in front of Hamilton, who made a three-car train into the lead.

They were then joined by Antonelli, who had dropped to seventh at the start, leaving four cars in the leading group after 10 laps, and they traded together until Isaac Hadjar’s Red Bull retired on lap 12.

The Frenchman, who was running fifth, started from the back straight, triggering the virtual safety car, which is usually an incentive for teams to stop and benefit from less downtime compared to stopping under race conditions.

But while Russell and Antonelli pitted, Leclerc and Hamilton did not. Hamilton immediately disputed the call, saying over the radio: “At least one of us should have been pitted.”

Instead, they ran long distances, adhering to the pre-race plan of a one-stop strategy.

By the time Leclerc pitted on lap 25, Russell was just five seconds off the lead, and the Ferrari exited 14 seconds behind.

On the newer tires, Leclerc was expected to close the gap on Russell, but he did not, and the fight at the front ended.