The first race under the 2026 rules belonged to the Silver Arrows, and it took a strategy call under the Virtual Safety Car to settle it.
| 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +16.144s |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +51.741s |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +54.617s |
| 7 | Ollie Bearman | Haas | +1 lap |
| 8 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1 lap |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1 lap |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1 lap |
George Russell started from pole, but Charles Leclerc made the better getaway from fourth and led into Turn 1. The two traded the lead several times in the opening laps as the new energy-deployment rules let drivers attack and counter-attack on the straights.
The race turned on Lap 11. Isack Hadjar's retirement brought out a Virtual Safety Car, Mercedes pitted both cars and Ferrari kept theirs out. A second VSC for Valtteri Bottas let Ferrari stop more cheaply, and Lewis Hamilton briefly led before Russell passed him on Lap 28 and pulled clear. Kimi Antonelli recovered from a poor start to make it a Mercedes one-two.
A one-two at the opening round, with Ferrari third and fourth, set the tone for the season. Several drivers said afterward that energy management, not raw pace, was deciding too many battles.
Lando Norris opened his title defense with fifth. Oscar Piastri never started his home race after clipping a kerb and spinning on his way to the grid.
Arvid Lindblad scored on his debut in eighth, Gabriel Bortoleto took ninth in Audi's first works race, and Sergio Perez brought Cadillac's first car home. Max Verstappen came from 20th on the grid to sixth.
| Pos | Driver | Pts | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russell | 25 | — |
| 2 | Antonelli | 18 | −7 |
| 3 | Leclerc | 15 | −10 |
| 4 | Hamilton | 12 | −13 |
| 5 | Norris | 10 | −15 |
Every race gets the full breakdown on YouTube @FullGridReview and TikTok @fullgridreview.