George Russell and Mercedes set the first marker as the British driver stormed to pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Saturday 7 March. Russell’s team-mate Kimi Antonelli will start from second to complete the block at the top for the Silver Arrows, who will be looking to revive their championship titles. F1 enters a new era in 2026.
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F1 2026: FULL COVERAGE
Max Verstappen had a day to forget in qualifying as he crashed just minutes after Q1 got underway and in his very first round of qualifying. The Dutch driver lost control of the rear of the car and crashed into the wall, forcing a red flag.
Once practice got underway again, there was some drama as Mercedes let Antonelli onto the track with the radiator still attached to the car. She fell on the track and was later hit by Lando Norris’ car. Mercedes are investigating, but it hasn’t stopped their dominance on the track. Russell took first place in all three qualifying sessions.
Worryingly, for the rest of the pack, Russell and Mercedes were completely dominant in terms of sheer speed and use of the new regulations. No rider could come close to Russell’s benchmark lap. Antonelli moved up to second, but was still three tenths slower than the Mercedes driver, while Isack Hadjar settled into third, almost eight tenths down.
Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Liam Lawson and rookie Arvid Lindblad completed the top nine. Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top 10 despite not registering a lap time in Q3. Despite securing pole position, Russell admitted the race was not going to be easy.
“It was a great day. We knew there was a lot of potential in the car, but you never know until we get to this first Saturday of the season, but it really came alive this afternoon.”
“As the track temperature has cooled, we tend to favor those conditions. We’re also really happy to have Kimi here because it’s been such a hard job from the team to deliver this car. They’ve done an amazing job in the garage as well.”
“It’s not easy to drive. I’m excited for tomorrow’s race and it could make for some pretty exciting racing. Hopefully we’ll put in a good race.”
AUSTRALIAN GP: QUALIFYING RESULTS
George Russell (Mercedes) – 1:18.518
Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +0.293
Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – +0.785
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.809
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.862
Lando Norris (McLaren) – +0.957
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +0.960
Liam Lawson (RB) – +1,476
Arvid Lindblad (RB) – +2,729
Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – No time in Q3
Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – 1:20.303
Oliver Bearman (Haas) – 1:20.311
Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 1:20.491
Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 1:20.501
Alexander Albon (Williams) – 1:20.941
Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 1:21.270
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – No time
Sergio Perez (Cadillac) – No time
Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – No time
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – No time
Carlos Sainz (Williams) – No time
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – No time
– The end
Published on:
March 7, 2026 12:21 PM IST
