George Russell won the opening race of the Formula 1 season from pole, marking a significant start to the new era.
What happened?
The race saw Russell and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc trade the lead repeatedly, utilizing their Active Aero.
Leclerc flew from his fourth-place starting spot to the lead through the first corner, with Russell responding quickly.
Key moments
Russell was the first to use the new Active Aero for a pass for the race lead, and Leclerc played it back.
The Mercedes and Ferraris were locked in their battle, while chaos continued to fall throughout the field.
Impact on the season
Only six cars finished on the lead lap, with Hamilton finishing fourth behind his teammate and ahead of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
Verstappen rose 14 positions from his 20th place starting spot to battle the reigning champion in the mid-points.
Oliver Bearman grabbed Haas's first points of the season in seventh, ahead of Racing Bulls Arvid Lindblad.
Looking ahead
The season is expected to be highly competitive, with eight of the 11 manufacturers finishing in the points at the Australian GP.
As of the Australian GP on March 2024, George Russell leads the championship standings.
And the battle between Mercedes and Ferrari is set to continue, with the next race promising to be just as thrilling.
But for now, Russell can celebrate his first win of the season, a significant achievement in the new era of F1.
So the focus will be on the upcoming races, with Russell looking to maintain his lead and Ferrari pushing to close the gap.
The Australian GP saw a number of retirements, including Oscar Piastri's pre-race retirement and Nico Hulkenberg's failure to start.