2026 F1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix FP3: Russell dominates as Antonelli crashes

On the morning of March 7, China Standard Time (UTC+8), the final practice session for the 2026 F1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix took place at Albert Park, where George Russell (Mercedes) delivered a dominant lap of 1:19.053 to put the Silver Arrows on top of the timesheets ahead of qualifying.

His teammate Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, suffered a major crash that severely damaged the rear of his car, casting doubt for a time over his participation in qualifying just hours later.

Behind Russell, Ferrari followed with Lewis Hamilton second, 0.616 seconds adrift, and Charles Leclerc third, 0.774 seconds off the pace.

Home favourite Oscar Piastri (McLaren) was fourth, followed by the Red Bull pair of Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen.

The start of the session was delayed by 20 minutes while barriers were repaired following an accident in the earlier FIA F3 sprint race. The teams’ final running before qualifying was hectic from the outset, with two red flags further cutting into track time.

Williams, which had already suffered technical trouble the previous day, was hit again early in the session: Carlos Sainz stopped near the pit entry, prompting a VSC that was subsequently escalated to a red flag and setting the tone for a turbulent session. Teammate Alexander Albon also stopped on track at one point during the session.

Honda-powered Aston Martin faced another test: Lance Stroll failed to take to the track throughout the session because of a suspected internal combustion engine (ICE) issue. Fernando Alonso completed 20 laps but languished in 18th on the timesheets, a long way behind leader Russell. There was some good news, however: he reported over the radio that the vibrations were “not as severe”, suggesting Honda’s countermeasures were beginning to make an impact on the severe vibration problems experienced since the Barcelona shakedown.

Antonelli’s accident occurred at Turn 2. As he accelerated out of the left-right sequence, his car ran heavily over the exit kerb before snapping out of control and slamming into the barriers.

The impact was severe enough for the medical car to be deployed. Fortunately, Antonelli was unhurt and walked back to the garage during the red-flag stoppage. The damage to the car was considered substantial, however, and at that stage it remained far from clear whether repairs could be completed before qualifying a few hours later.

Nevertheless, following a swift clear-up by circuit personnel, the session resumed with four minutes remaining. It was in this brief window that Russell set his fastest lap.

As Williams team principal James Vowles put it, “The gaps between Audi, Haas, Racing Bulls and us are unbelievably tight.” The midfield battle for a place in Q3 is becoming increasingly intense. Among those making their presence felt were youngsters Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) in ninth and Oliver Bearman (Haas) in tenth.

Looking ahead to qualifying, Russell, Leclerc and Piastri have each topped a practice session, setting up a three-way contest. How seven-time world champion Hamilton and Verstappen, who was only sixth in FP3, might upset that order is a key talking point. Qualifying to decide the first polesitter of the new era gets under way in just a few hours.