Ralf Schumacher: Mercedes still has “room for improvement” after strong Australian GP 1-2

Ralf Schumacher said Mercedes still has more to come in 2026 despite George Russell and Kimi Antonelli sealing a dominant 1-2 in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix

Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports Germany pundit Ralf Schumacher claimed that Mercedes "still has a lot of room for improvement" despite a commanding season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Mercedes started with a front-row lockout with George Russell on pole position and his team-mate Kimi Antonelli beside him in second place. While the Brackley outfit saw fierce competition from Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, Russell and Antonelli finished the race in the same positions that they started in.

Although it was a strong start to the 2026 season for Mercedes, Schumacher argued that there is still room for improvement.

"Mercedes still has a lot of room for improvement there, both drivers. Because it already looks rather playful. But of course, Ferrari was surprisingly good, that has to be said as well," he told Sky Sports Germany.

The 2026 regulations had been met with a lot of scepticism ahead of the first race of the season, but Schumacher felt the action in the Australian Grand Prix "was really strong".

"And the opening phase, the first five or six laps, even a few more," he continued. "The overtaking there was really strong. So you have to say to all the critics of this new regulation — at least that part was really great to see."

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

Russell admitted that he and the Mercedes team had expected the "yo-yo" effect as he reflected on his intense battle with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc in the opening laps of the race.

"We had this suspicion that it was going to be a bit of a yo-yo effect, and as soon as one of us got in front, it just felt impossible to hold it," the Briton explained after the race.

Joining Russell and Antonelli on the podium was Leclerc, who finished in third. Leclerc's Ferrari team-mate Lewis Hamilton closely followed in fourth and 2025 champion Lando Norris rounded out the top five.