George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W17 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 06, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Steven Tee/LAT Images for Pirelli)
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Formula 1 News: Russell wins pole for the 2026 Australian GP

Posted by AR1 staff

In a commanding performance at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, George Russell leveraged the power of his Mercedes to claim pole position for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix with a blistering lap time of 1m18.518s.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Russell’s effort highlighted the strength of the Mercedes package, as his teammate Kimi Antonelli joined him on the front row, locking out the top two spots despite a challenging day. Antonelli’s car required a full rebuild after a heavy crash in final practice, yet he managed a time just 0.293s slower than Russell.

“A great day. We knew there was a lot of potential in the car,” said an elated Russell. “Really happy to have Kimi here next to me as well, as the team did an amazing job in the garage today. I’m excited for the race tomorrow; I think we can bring some quite exciting racing to the fans.”

Antonelli echoed the sentiment, praising the team’s efforts: “It has been a very, very stressful day. The mechanics today were the heroes. We couldn’t even set-up the car, we just went out. It was not easy, I needed to dig deep but I need a clean weekend next time as it did definitely compromise Qualifying.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy driving the (12) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W17 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 06, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Sam Bagnall/Sutton Images for Pirelli)

Isack Hadjar delivered an impressive showing for Red Bull-Ford, securing third place with a time 0.785s behind Russell. “It was a very smooth Qualifying. We kind of built up to it, and it was a very good last lap,” Hadjar commented. “I want to keep my position, as a second podium would be good.”

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc followed in fourth, 0.809s off the pace, while local hero Oscar Piastri thrilled the home crowd by rounding out the top five in his McLaren, 0.862s adrift.

Reigning World Champion Lando Norris (McLaren), Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), and Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) completed the top 10.

Drama unfolded early when Max Verstappen crashed out in Q1. His Red Bull-Ford suffered a rear lock-up under braking at Turn 1, sending him spinning into the gravel and barrier without setting a time. He will start from the 10th row.

 

2026 Australian GP Qualifying Results

Pos. No. Driver Team Q1 Q2 Q3 Laps
1 63 George Russell Mercedes 1m19.507s 1m18.934s 1m18.518s 22
2 12 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1m20.120s 1m19.435s 1m18.811s 18
3 6 Isack Hadjar Red Bull Racing 1m20.023s 1m19.653s 1m19.303s 19
4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1m20.226s 1m19.357s 1m19.327s 24
5 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1m19.664s 1m19.525s 1m19.380s 26
6 1 Lando Norris McLaren 1m20.010s 1m19.882s 1m19.475s 26
7 44 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1m19.811s 1m19.921s 1m19.478s 25
8 30 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1m20.491s 1m20.144s 1m19.994s 24
9 41 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 1m20.409s 1m19.971s 1m21.247s 25
10 5 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1m20.495s 1m20.221s  – 14
11 27 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1m21.024s 1m20.303s  – 18
12 87 Oliver Bearman Haas F1 Team 1m21.247s 1m20.311s  – 18
13 31 Esteban Ocon Haas F1 Team 1m20.759s 1m20.491s  – 18
14 10 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1m21.138s 1m20.501s  – 18
15 23 Alexander Albon Williams 1m21.051s 1m20.941s  – 19
16 43 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1m21.200s 1m21.270s  – 18
17 14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1m21.969s  –  – 10
18 11 Sergio Perez Cadillac 1m22.605s  –  – 7
19 77 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1m23.244s  –  – 8
20 3 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing No Time – –
21 55 Carlos Sainz Jr. Williams No Time – –
22 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin No Time – –