George Russell delivered a clear warning to the rest of the field in the final practice session for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix on Saturday morning, setting a dominant benchmark for Mercedes just minutes before a heavy crash for teammate Kimi Antonelli halted the session.
Russell’s late lap of 1:19.053 left him more than six tenths of a second clear of the field and confirmed Mercedes as the team to beat ahead of the first qualifying session of the season. The session ended in chaos after Antonelli lost control at Turn 2 and hit the barriers, leaving the rookie seventh on the timesheets and raising doubts about whether his car would be ready in time for qualifying.
The dramatic hour capped a weekend of incidents and shifting pace at Albert Park. Two red flags, a delayed start, and several reliability problems shaped the final practice running before the grid decides pole later on Saturday.
As it happened in the Australian GP FP3
The session began later than planned after barrier repairs from an earlier Formula 3 Sprint Race crash delayed the opening of the track.
When the green light finally appeared, Franco Colapinto led the first cars out of the pit lane. Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso followed as teams used different tyre compounds in the opening runs.
Trouble arrived quickly. Carlos Sainz stopped his Williams near the pit entry, triggering yellow flags and a Virtual Safety Car before officials red-flagged the session so marshals could recover the car.
Sainz walked back along the pit lane while mechanics prepared the garage. The Spaniard failed to set a time, leaving Williams with almost no meaningful data from the final practice hour.
Once the session resumed with 38 minutes remaining, teams rushed to make up for lost track time. The pit lane quickly filled with cars waiting to return to the circuit.
Charles Leclerc first set the pace with a 1:20.271. He moved just 0.053 seconds ahead of Antonelli, while Hamilton placed third during the early runs.
The order kept changing as teams fitted soft tyres. Hamilton briefly took the lead from Leclerc. The Ferrari driver answered again before Oscar Piastri also reached the top for a short time.
The margins stayed tight among the leading teams. Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes traded fastest laps through the middle phase of the session.
Then the mood shifted again.
Antonelli lost the rear of his Mercedes at Turn 2 after taking too much kerb. His car slid into the barriers in a heavy impact that brought out another red flag.
The Italian reported over the radio that he was OK and climbed out of the damaged car. Marshals cleared debris and recovered the Mercedes while Antonelli returned to the garage.
When the track reopened with just under four minutes remaining, teams rushed for one last attempt. Cars formed a long queue at the end of the pit lane.
Lando Norris moved up to fifth as the final runs began. Moments later, Russell delivered the decisive lap.
His 1:19.053 proved far quicker than anyone else managed all weekend. Hamilton finished second, 0.616 seconds behind, with Leclerc third.
Piastri placed fourth for McLaren. The Red Bull pair of Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen followed in fifth and sixth.
Hadjar again impressed by finishing ahead of the reigning champion in the session order. Verstappen now faces work to close the gap to Mercedes in qualifying.
Antonelli ended the session seventh despite his crash. Whether Mercedes can repair the car in time for qualifying remains uncertain.
Norris finished eighth. Gabriel Bortoleto took ninth for Audi, while Oliver Bearman completed the top 10 for Haas.
Further down the order, rookie Arvid Lindblad continued a strong weekend with 11th for Racing Bulls. He finished ahead of teammate Liam Lawson.
Williams endured another difficult session. Alex Albon placed 17th, and Sainz recorded no time after his early stoppage.
Aston Martin also struggled. The team confirmed Lance Stroll missed the session because of an engine issue during the rebuild of his car. Alonso managed 18 laps but finished only 18th.
Cadillac drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez placed 19th and 20th.
Three practice sessions now point to a clearer competitive order. Mercedes appears strongest over one lap, while Ferrari and McLaren remain close behind. Red Bull sits slightly further back but could still challenge if Verstappen finds more pace.
Qualifying for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix begins at 16:00 local time.
Full FP3 results: 2026 Australian Grand Prix
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:19.053 |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.616s |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.774s |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +1.034s |
| 5 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +1.084s |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +1.144s |
| 7 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +1.271s |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +1.390s |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +1.406s |
| 10 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.725s |
| 11 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +1.785s |
| 12 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +1.837s |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +1.930s |
| 14 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +2.014s |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +2.018s |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +2.360s |
| 17 | Alex Albon | Williams | +2.611s |
| 18 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +3.667s |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | +4.461s |
| 20 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | +5.344s |
| 21 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | No time |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | No time |
2026 Australian Grand Prix weekend schedule (AEDT, Melbourne local time)
| Session | Day | Time (AEDT) |
|---|---|---|
| Free Practice 1 | Friday, 6 March | 12:30 ✓ |
| Free Practice 2 | Friday, 6 March | 16:00 ✓ |
| Free Practice 3 | Saturday, 7 March | 12:30 ✓ |
| Qualifying | Saturday, 7 March | 16:00 |
| Race | Sunday, 8 March | 15:00 |
As the garages prepare for qualifying, Russell’s lap remains the key reference point. The Mercedes driver left Albert Park with a clear statement of speed.
The only question is whether his teammate’s damaged car will return to the grid in time to join the fight.
