George Russell claimed pole position for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix with a lap time of 1:18.518, leading a Mercedes front-row lockout as F1’s new technical era made its competitive debut at Albert Park.
His Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli qualified second with a 1:18.811. The gap between the two Silver Arrows was 0.293 seconds, which confirmed that Mercedes have arrived in Melbourne with the clearest understanding of the new regulations and, so far, the best car.
Russell improved steadily through each segment, posting a 1:19.507 in Q1 and a 1:18.934 in Q2 before improving again in Q3.
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar qualified third, outperforming teammate Max Verstappen in the process, who crashed out in Q1, and keeping his team within striking distance ahead of Sunday’s race.
The 2026 technical reset
This was the first qualifying hour under F1’s 2026 technical reset, with the 50/50 hybrid power units and active aerodynamics to replace the old DRS system.
The new power unit removes the MGU-H component entirely, splitting output roughly equally between the internal combustion engine and electrical systems, and made for a fascinating session that saw some teams, like Ferrari, struggle with energy deployment across the whole lap.
With a standard hybrid output of around 350kW (470bhp), the removal of the MGU-H has introduced greater turbo lag, as the turbocharger takes longer to reach full speed without electrical assistance.
The active aero framework requires wings to switch between a low-drag ‘Straight Mode’ on straights and a high-downforce ‘Corner Mode‘ through corners. It is an added layer of complexity that has been much discussed and appears, at the moment, to very much suit the Mercedes W17.
Ferrari, who had topped FP1 through Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, could not match Mercedes in Q3. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, quickest in FP2, also fell short of the front row.
Early winners and losers beyond the front row
In their debut weekend, Cadillac drivers Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez ran consistent midfield pace, despite Perez missing significant running in FP2 due to technical issues. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg maintained a steady presence in the top ten during practice.
Aston Martin had another difficult day. Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll have struggled for pace throughout the weekend, with Stroll failing to record times in multiple sessions due to technical setbacks.
Attention now turns to tomorrow’s race, where a modified start procedure will be in effect. Race Director Rui Marques confirmed a five-second ‘Pre-Start’ phase with flashing blue lights will precede the normal light sequence, giving drivers extra time to prepare their engines.
The change addresses the increased turbo ‘spool’ time caused by the removal of the MGU-H, which would otherwise put drivers at the back of the grid at a disadvantage.
The race marks the 40th anniversary of the Australian Grand Prix’s inclusion in the F1 World Championship, spanning its time in Adelaide from 1985 and Melbourne from 1996.
Whether Mercedes’ qualifying pace translates over 58 laps of the 5.278km semi-permanent Albert Park street circuit remains the open question heading into Sunday.
2026 Australian Grand Prix qualifying results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Q3 Time | Gap |
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:18.518 | — |
| 2 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:18.811 | +0.293 |
| 3 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:19.303 | +0.785 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:19.327 | +0.809 |
| 5 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:19.380 | +0.862 |
| 6 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:19.475 | +0.957 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:19.478 | +0.960 |
| 8 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:19.994 | +1.476 |
| 9 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:20.409 | +1.891 |
| 10 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:20.495 | +1.977 |
| 11 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:20.759 | (Q2) |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:21.024 | (Q2) |
| 13 | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:21.051 | (Q2) |
| 14 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:21.138 | (Q2) |
| 15 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:21.200 | (Q2) |
| 16 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:21.247 | (Q1) |
| 17 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:21.969 | (Q1) |
| 18 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:22.605 | (Q1) |
| 19 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:23.244 | (Q1) |
| 20 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | No Time | (Crash) |
| 21 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | No Time | (DNF) |
| 22 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | No Time | (DNF) |
