Considered by many to be the Formula 1 world championship favorite, George Russell ostensibly proved the assumptions correct by winning pole for the Australian Grand Prix.
On top of it being the eighth pole in Russell’s career, it was also the 83rd front row lockout for Mercedes. As the first competitive session of the 2026 season with radical new aero and engine regulations, the Silver Arrows looked particularly strong – Russell’s time alone was eight tenths of a second clear of third place.
“It’s not easy to drive,” Russell said, regarding the new regulations. “It’s not easy for the fans to understand. However, I am excited for the race tomorrow and bring some exciting racing.”
Kimi Antonelli had an adventure-filled day. After crashing out of FP3 with twelve minutes to go in the session, Mercedes had to hustle to even get the sophomore Italian driver onto the track to post a lap in Q1.
Then, in Q3, parts of what were supposed to be removed before taking the track, intake blowers, flew off Antonelli’s car. Lando Norris hit a big one that landed on track, bringing out a red flag, which temporarily stopped the session.
When the red flag was lifted, Antonelli was able to rally back and qualify on the front row with his Mercedes teammate.
Meanwhile, Isack Hadjar looked like he’d always been there in his very first qualifying for Red Bull. The Frenchman qualified a resounding third, the highest qualifying position for a second driver on the team in years.
“Very smooth qualifying,” Hadjar said. “The run-up to qualifying during the whole weekend was kind of difficult. I’m not really in a position to fight for a top three. I felt like the Ferrari and the McLaren were a bit clear of myself. That was a very good last lap.”
Q3
After a lot of issues in the first two rounds and the early drama surrounding Antonelli’s sidepod, there were no other issues in this session.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Leader |
| 1. | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:18:518m |
| 2. | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.293s |
| 3. | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing Red Bull Ford | +0.785s |
| 4. | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrar | +0.809s |
| 5. | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | +0.862s |
| 6. | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | +0.957s |
| 7. | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.960s |
| 8. | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Red Bull Ford | +1.476s |
| 9. | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls Red Bull Ford | +2.729s |
| 10. | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | N/A |
Q2
Lewis Hamilton struggled with engine and battery issues but still made a lap and qualified for Q3.
On the cooldown lap, Gabriel Bortoleto stalled out entering the pit road. Racing Bulls teammates Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson almost slammed into the Audi but escaped contact.
As a result, the Audi of Bortoleto was unable to participate in Q3.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 11. | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +0.082s |
| 12. | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | +0.090s |
| 13. | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari | +0.270s |
| 14. | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Mercedes | +0.280s |
| 15. | 23 | Alexander Albon | Altassian Williams Mercedes | +0.720s |
| 16. | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Mercedes | +1.049s |
Q1
The big news out of this round came with the sudden wreck of Max Verstappen, who locked the right rear tires up and pounded the wall in Turn 1 on his first flying lap of the session.
For the first race of this brand new era of regulations, the man who dominated much of the previous ones will start 20th.
Cadillac’s first competitive F1 session ended with both drivers failing to advance out of Q1.
Carlos Sainz did not attempt a lap after issues with his engine in the final practice session earlier in the day. Lance Stroll did not attempt one either and may not qualify for the race, as he never turned a lap within the 107% lap time minimum the entire weekend.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 17. | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Honda | +0.047s |
| 18. | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac Ferrari | +0.769s |
| 19. | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac Ferrari | +1.405s |
| 20. | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Red Bull Ford | N/A |
| 21. | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Atlassian Williams Mercedes | N/A |
| 22. | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Honda | N/A |
Now that qualifying has concluded, it’s time to put some shrimp on the barbie and open an ice-cold Foster’s (or if truly local XXXX). The 2026 Australian Grand Prix will take place on March 7th, 2026 (March 8th locally), with lights out occurring at 11:00 pm EST.
