George Russell wins Australian Grand Prix, says “I like this car, I like this engine” as Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc join podium

Mercedes has confirmed it is going to dominate this F1 season under new regulations, with George Russell winning the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday. His teammate Kimi Antonelli joined him in second spot on the podium, while Ferrari’s newlywed driver Charles Leclerc finished in third. Here is what they said from the cooldown room in their first reaction after the race.George Russell is on a roll after starting the 2026 F1 season with a victory. The elated Mercedes driver was heard saying on his team radio after the Australian Grand Prix, “Very nice, very nice. I like this car. I like this engine!”“It was a hell of a fight at the beginning! I made a bad start, and had some really tight battles with Charles at the start, just really glad to cross the finish line,” he said after the win.Kimi Antonelli also called it a good race. “The pace was really strong, especially at the end. It was really good fun at the beginning!” he said after the race.Just like Mercedes, Ferrari too has confirmed its comeback with a bang this season, as Lewis Hamilton followed Charles Leclerc in fourth. Unfortunately, he once again missed out on reaching the podium.Sharing his reaction after the race, Leclerc said, “It was a very, very tricky race. None of us knew what to expect. It has been quite challenging, but it was a fun first part of the race. It looked like Mercedes had a bit more pace than us today, but not as much as yesterday, so that is a good thing.”Haas driver Oliver Bearman took seventh spot. Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad put up a wonderful performance by bagging his first points in his debut F1 race.The new reigning F1 world champion Lando Norris continued to struggle to find his footing amid the new regulations and finished fifth. His McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri once again proved unlucky in his home race, finishing among the last at the Albert Park Circuit.Max Verstappen too hasn’t found solace in his new F1 car, as he finished sixth a day after suffering a crash in Saturday qualifying. His new teammate Isack Hadjar, who started from third on the grid, was the one to suffer a crash in Sunday’s final.The Australian Grand Prix will be followed by the Chinese Grand Prix next weekend and then the Japanese Grand Prix. However, there are strong chances of Rounds 4 and 5 in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia being called off next month amid continuing tensions in the Middle East.Also read: Max Verstappen reacts to Australian GP crash as George Russell grabs pole: “I’ve never experienced that before”