George Russell stormed to pole position for the season opener at the Australian Grand Prix with a blistering 1:18.518, leading a dominant Mercedes performance as teammate Kimi Antonelli secured second to lock out the front row for the Silver Arrows. Antonelli finished just 0.293s shy of Russell’s benchmark, while Isack Hadjar emerged as the closest challenger for Red Bull Racing, albeit nearly eight tenths off the pace in third.
What To Know
- George Russell secured pole with a 1:18.518 lap
- Mercedes locked out the front row with Antonelli in P2
- Max Verstappen crashed out in Q1, qualifying 20th
- Isack Hadjar secured P3 on his Red Bull debut
Behind the top three, Charles Leclerc headed Ferrari’s charge in fourth, with McLaren pair Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris lining up fifth and sixth respectively. Lewis Hamilton placed seventh in the second Ferrari, while Racing Bulls teammates Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad claimed eighth and ninth. Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top ten for Audi, as a disrupted session left several notable names—including Max Verstappen, who crashed out in Q1 down in 20th—well outside the fight at the front.
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2026 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying Results
2026 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying, 7 March 2026
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:19.507 | 1:18.934 | 1:18.518 | 22 |
| 2 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:20.120 | 1:19.435 | 1:18.811 | 18 |
| 3 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:20.023 | 1:19.653 | 1:19.303 | 19 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:20.226 | 1:19.357 | 1:19.327 | 24 |
| 5 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:19.664 | 1:19.525 | 1:19.380 | 26 |
| 6 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:20.010 | 1:19.882 | 1:19.475 | 26 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:19.811 | 1:19.921 | 1:19.478 | 25 |
| 8 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:20.491 | 1:20.144 | 1:19.994 | 24 |
| 9 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:20.409 | 1:19.971 | 1:21.247 | 25 |
| 10 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:20.495 | 1:20.221 | 14 | |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:21.024 | 1:20.303 | 18 | |
| 12 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:21.247 | 1:20.311 | 18 | |
| 13 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:20.759 | 1:20.491 | 18 | |
| 14 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:21.138 | 1:20.501 | 18 | |
| 15 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:21.051 | 1:20.941 | 19 | |
| 16 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:21.200 | 1:21.270 | 18 | |
| 17 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:21.969 | 10 | ||
| 18 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:22.605 | 7 | ||
| 19 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:23.244 | 8 |
The Mercedes of George Russell looked in control throughout the entire session at Albert Park, topping multiple runs across the three segments before sealing pole with a superb 1m18.518s lap. The result gives Russell the first pole position of the 2026 F1 World Championship and places Mercedes firmly at the head of the grid heading into Sunday’s race.
Antonelli capped an outstanding Qualifying performance by taking second place with a 1m18.811s, completing a Mercedes 1–2 front-row lockout and underlining the team’s early pace in Formula 1’s new technical era. Behind them, Isack Hadjar impressed on his Red Bull debut, claiming third place ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and home favourite Oscar Piastri.
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Further down the order, it proved a frustrating evening for reigning world champion Lando Norris, who could only manage sixth place. The McLaren driver finished ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, while Racing Bulls teammates Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad secured eighth and ninth, respectively.
Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto had looked set to challenge for a strong grid position after advancing through Q2, but a technical issue on his in-lap prevented him from taking part in the final Q3 shootout, leaving him classified 10th.
Q1 drama as Verstappen crashes out
The opening segment of Qualifying delivered one of the biggest shocks of the session when Max Verstappen crashed heavily early in Q1. The Red Bull driver lost control of the car at the start of a flying lap and slid into the barriers after what he later described over the radio as a rear axle lock-up.
“The car just locked on the rear axle. Fantastic,” Verstappen reported in frustration.
Although the four-time world champion was uninjured, the impact ended his session immediately and left him eliminated in 20th place on the grid.
Elsewhere in Q1, a late improvement from Franco Colapinto pushed Fernando Alonso down to 17th, eliminating the Aston Martin driver from the session. The Cadillac duo of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas also fell in the opening segment in 18th and 19th, respectively.
They will start ahead of Verstappen, as well as Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll, neither of whom was able to participate in the session due to earlier issues with their cars.
Mercedes dominate as Russell seals pole
Once the session settled following the early drama, Mercedes quickly established themselves as the benchmark around the Albert Park circuit.
Russell set the pace early in Q2 and continued to look untouchable in the final shootout. His 1m18.518s lap ultimately proved comfortably quicker than Antonelli’s best effort, giving the Briton a clear advantage heading into Sunday’s race.
Behind the Mercedes pair, Hadjar continued his impressive debut weekend for Red Bull, securing a strong third place on the grid. Ferrari’s Leclerc qualified fourth, just ahead of Melbourne’s own Piastri, who delighted the local crowd by securing a place on the third row.
Further down the top ten, Norris secured sixth position ahead of Hamilton in seventh, while Racing Bulls enjoyed an excellent session with Lawson and Lindblad locking out eighth and ninth. Bortoleto rounded out the top ten despite being unable to complete a lap in Q3.
Just outside the top ten, Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missed the Q2 cut, while Ollie Bearman qualified 12th for Haas, one place ahead of team mate Esteban Ocon.
Despite promising signs during pre-season testing, both Alpine drivers struggled in Qualifying, with Pierre Gasly eliminated in 14th and Colapinto finishing 16th. Alex Albon, the only Williams driver able to take part in the session, split the pair in 15th place.
With the grid now set, Russell will lead the field away for the opening race of the season, with Mercedes appearing to hold the early advantage as the new Formula 1 era begins in earnest.
2026 Australian Grand Prix Starting Grid
The Grand Prix starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2026 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying session.
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:18.518 | 22 |
| 2 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:18.811 | 18 |
| 3 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:19.303 | 19 |
| 4 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:19.327 | 24 |
| 5 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:19.380 | 26 |
| 6 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:19.475 | 26 |
| 7 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:19.478 | 25 |
| 8 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:19.994 | 24 |
| 9 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:21.247 | 25 |
| 10 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:20.221 | 14 |
| 11 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:20.303 | 18 |
| 12 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:20.311 | 18 |
| 13 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:20.491 | 18 |
| 14 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:20.501 | 18 |
| 15 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:20.941 | 19 |
| 16 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:21.270 | 18 |
| 17 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:21.969 | 10 |
| 18 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:22.605 | 7 |
| 19 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:23.244 | 8 |
Race Guide
Season: 2026 F1 World Championship
Race weekend: 6 March 2026 – 8 March 2026
Race date: Sunday, 8 March 2026
Race start time: 15:00 local time
Circuit: Albert Park
Laps: 58
Circuit length: 5.278km
2025 winner: Lando Norris
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