F1 Australian GP Results: Winner, Full Finish Order, and Takeaways

Full F1 Australian Grand Prix Finish Order

Takeaway #1: Mercedes vs Ferrari Defined the Race

The race quickly developed into a strategic and pace battle between Mercedes and Ferrari. 

Leclerc and Hamilton remained close to the Mercedes cars during the opening stages, but Leclerc later admitted Ferrari did not have the outright speed required to challenge for the win. 

“It was a very tricky race. At the start none of us knew what to expect with the fights and energy,” Leclerc said. 

He added that energy deployment differences made defending extremely difficult. 

“You don’t know when your battery will cut on the straights, so there are massive speed differences.”

Takeaway #2: Antonelli Delivers Strong Start for Mercedes

Second-place finisher Kimi Antonelli delivered one of the standout performances of the race. 

The young driver lost positions at the start but recovered strongly thanks to impressive race pace in the latter stages. 

“It’s the best start we could have wished for,” Antonelli said. “Unfortunately the start as really bad and I lost a lot of places, but the pace was very strong at the end.”

The result capped an excellent opening race for Mercedes, who left Melbourne with maximum momentum. 

Takeaway #3: Verstappen’s Recovery Stands Out

One of the most impressive drives came from Max Verstappen. 

After crashing in qualifying and starting near the back of the grid, the Red Bull Racing driver climbed steadily through the field to finish sixth. 

Verstappen nearly caught Lando Norris for fifth but ultimately fell short. 

Further down the order, rookie Arvid Lindblad impressed with eighth place on his F1 debut, while Gabriel Bortoleto scored points for Audi in ninth.