Formula 1, Sportrik Media - George Russell believes Mercedes still fell short of its full potential during the 2026 Australian Grand Prix despite securing a dominant one-two finish at Albert Park. The British driver claimed victory ahead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli, giving the team a strong start to the new Formula 1 season.
Russell’s triumph marked the sixth grand prix victory of his Formula 1 career and placed him at the top of the drivers’ championship standings for the first time. Mercedes had already been widely tipped as a leading contender following the introduction of the new regulations, and the team’s pace advantage became evident during qualifying in Melbourne when it was roughly eight-tenths of a second faster than its nearest rival.
Despite the commanding result, Russell insisted the team still had several areas to improve if it wants to sustain a championship challenge throughout the season.
“It just feels like another race win, to be honest,” Russell told media including RacingNews365.
“We’re only race one into a very long season. Of course I want to fight for race wins week in, week out, but we’re all here to fight for a world championship.”
Russell pointed specifically to aspects of the race weekend where he felt Mercedes did not perform at its highest level, particularly during the start phase and in managing the car’s energy systems.
“If we want to win the championship, we still need to raise our game because there were a lot of areas where we underachieved, mainly around the race start and having the battery in the right place. We were lucky not to come away with something worse,” he explained.
At the start of the race, Russell briefly lost the lead to Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, who surged from fourth on the grid to take first position heading into the opening corner.
Over the following laps, Russell and Leclerc engaged in a series of exchanges for the race lead as they strategically managed their power unit deployment under the new technical regulations.
Russell highlighted that energy management is now a crucial tactical element for drivers under the latest Formula 1 power unit framework.
“There’s definitely more opportunity and you have to be more strategic,” he said.
“On a circuit like this where you have four long straights, if you have 100 per cent battery you need to decide how to split that energy across them. No team is dividing it equally.”
According to Russell, teams are distributing their energy differently across the lap, meaning drivers can overtake on one straight only to be repassed moments later on the next.
“If you use your overtake mode or boost, you might pass someone on one straight, but then they can pass you back on the next,” he added.
The early battle between Russell and Leclerc provided one of the most dynamic moments of the race in Melbourne, offering a glimpse into how strategic energy deployment could shape racing in the new era of Formula 1.
Galeri Foto
Baca Juga
Jadwal lengkap F1 GP China 2026 dalam WIB. Simak waktu latihan, sprint, kualifikasi, hingga balapan di Shanghai International Circuit.
Martin Brundle menyebut kecelakaan Oscar Piastri sebelum start F1 Australia 2026 sebagai momen brutal di depan pendukungnya sendiri.
Lewis Hamilton meminta Ferrari meningkatkan kecepatan lurus setelah F1 Australia 2026 menunjukkan Mercedes memiliki keunggulan performa.
Lanjutkan dengan Google
Diskusi & Komentar (0)
Mari Bergabung dalam Diskusi!
Masuk dengan mudah untuk mulai memberikan komentar, membalas, dan berinteraksi dengan pembaca lainnya.
Komentar Terbaru
Belum ada komentar. Jadilah yang pertama!