Mercedes started the season with a bang, scoring maximum points in Australia as George Russell converted a dominant pole position into victory. But who else made the top 10 of our Power Rankings? Check out the latest scores and first leaderboard of the year below…
Russell has experienced how it feels to win a race before, but only when Mercedes were not at their best, making this victory especially sweet with the knowledge that many more are possible this season. He built his speed up throughout the sessions and secured his eighth Grand Prix pole position by 0.293s over team mate Kimi Antonelli to firmly establish himself as the man to beat, and even when Charles Leclerc shot into the lead at lights out, the Briton patiently reclaimed the advantage and confidently maintained it until the chequered flag.
As the sole rookie on the grid, it would have been easy for Arvid Lindblad to put his head down and try to stay out of trouble on his debut, but that’s not what the 18-year-old had in mind. Instead, he qualified ninth to start just behind his Racing Bulls team mate Liam Lawson, and charged through the field on the opening lap to reach P3. It wasn’t long before drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen caught up, giving Lindblad the chance to showcase his clean and brave defence. He ultimately scored four points in P8, marking a strong start for the youngster.
Antonelli’s podium was undoubtedly a team effort as the first low point of his rollercoaster weekend began with a dramatic crash into the wall during FP3. The repair job left for Mercedes was major, but they managed to turn things around with a handful of minutes left in Q1 and the Italian made the most of it, qualifying on the front row alongside Russell. That high was quickly balanced out by an underwhelming start that saw him drop down the order, but his recovery was determined and perfectly executed, ending with a satisfying P2 finish.
With the Silver Arrows’ performance advantage evident from Qualifying, Ferrari faced an uphill battle – Leclerc himself admitted that they were “nowhere near Mercedes” after he qualified in fourth place. That was soon forgotten as he pulled off a superb launch, sailing into the lead of the race before engaging in a fierce back and forth with Russell. He lost out in the end, partially due to Ferrari’s alternative strategy, but maximised what he had to bring home P3.
Ollie Bearman was the star of the midfield at Albert Park as he crossed the line in seventh place, becoming the first of the finishers from outside of the top four teams. 12 months on from his last place result – albeit in a race where six drivers retired – the 20-year-old masterfully gained five positions to net six points, which might prove crucial in what could be another intensely close fight for best of the rest.
Like Leclerc, Hamilton was held back by Ferrari’s one-lap pace but more than made up for it on the first few laps, improving from a lacklustre P7 to the top three. Although he was unable to maintain the place, eventually settling for fourth, it seemed to be a return of the Hamilton of old who felt at one with his car – afterwards, he commented that he “could have kept going” in what was a “really fun” race, signifying a stark change from the struggles of last season.
The early signs of potential shown by Alpine in pre-season testing seemed to fade as Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto were both knocked out in Q2. However, the Frenchman fought back to improve by four positions – he notably came out on top in a clash with former team mate Esteban Ocon, which was pivotal in enabling him to claim the final point on offer in the 58-lap race.
Few thought that Gabriel Bortoleto would keep up with his veteran team mate Nico Hulkenberg when he joined as a rookie last season, but the Brazilian driver has proved time and again that he’s not to be underestimated. With a brand new Audi power unit at his command, he squeezed into the top 10 in Qualifying. While he was unable to set a lap due to a technical issue, it was deemed a brilliant result on the squad’s debut. In case that wasn’t impressive enough, he moved up a spot to secure two points as the only Audi driver to start the race.
The first weekend of the new regulations was always going to be a steep learning curve, and Verstappen experienced that more than most. He knew ahead of the weekend that Red Bull weren’t quite at Mercedes’ level, but couldn’t predict that he would qualify 20th after suffering a massive crash. Although no driver errors were involved, it nevertheless left him with a mission on his hands, which he carried out in signature Verstappen style – the Dutchman stormed through the pack and took the chequered flag in P6.
Isack Hadjar’s weekend didn’t quite end how he would’ve wanted, but our judges chose him to round out the top 10 due to his strong performance up to the DNF. Red Bull have searched for a driver to hit the ground running alongside Verstappen for the last few seasons, and Hadjar’s debut certainly shows early promise that he could be who they’re looking for. They couldn’t close the gap to Mercedes, but he qualified an excellent P3 and appeared on course for a significant points haul before an issue forced him to retire from the race.
Missing out
Lando Norris, Alex Albon and Sergio Perez narrowly missed out on a spot in the top 10, with all three ending the weekend with a score of 7. Norris flew the flag as the sole McLaren driver in the race after Oscar Piastri crashed en route to the grid, taking plenty of lessons from his drive to P5. Meanwhile, Albon and Perez finished outside of the points in 12th and 16th respectively, with the Mexican driver ticking off new team Cadillac’s ambition to complete their first F1 race.
