George Russell dominated proceedings on Saturday at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, as Mercedes moved a clear step ahead of the rest of the field.
On a calm day in Albert Park, the overcast Australian sky masked what would become an unpredictable and at times, a radical qualifying session. Several drivers still had issues from FP1 that had to be addressed, leaving them at the mercy of the mechanical racing gods. There were shocks aplenty, including a highly notable Q1 exit
Q1
Kimi Antonelli sat in the garage, powerless for most of the session, requiring a miracle to get out. Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll found themselves in a similar position. As the session got underway, the Ferraris chose a more radical strategy for Q1 by opting to complete the first session on medium tyres, the rest of the field on the softs.
What became apparent quickly was Audi’s pace in the hands of Gabriel Bortoleto. Featuring towards the top of the timesheets, it looked to be a firm contender in the battle for best of the rest. George Russell then outlined Mercedes’ credentials by lapping a whopping six tenths of a second faster than the Brazilian, before the first shock of the session took all by surprise.
Max Verstappen’s rear axle locked at the end of the straight, punting him into a spin, ending his session and bringing out the red flag. The session resumed after a short delay, with six minutes on the clock, allowing Kimi Antonelli a chance at a reprieve and setting the third-fastest time. Verstappen’s disaster led to a gain for beleaguered Aston Martin, as Alonso looked set to progress to Q2 despite its woes. However, a late charge from Franco Colapinto spoiled his afternoon, finishing 17th.
Both Cadillacs looked to be considerably away from the leading pace, Valterri Bottas and Sergio Perez eliminated, joining Verstappen, Sainz and Stroll, the latter duo unable to set a lap.
Eliminated: Alonso, Perez, Bottas, Verstappen, Sainz, Stroll
Q2
At the start of Q2, the drivers all filed out of the pits in the usual traffic jam, hoping for a Q3 appearance. Ferrari’s strategy of using medium tyres looked to have paid dividends, as it now had an extra set of soft tyres available. His first effort displaced home hero Oscar Piastri. But this was very quickly beaten by the in-form Russell, another six tenths of a second ahead of his own teammate in second.
In the bottom five, Pierre Gasly, Bearman, Nico Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Albon and Lewis Hamilton all needed to find time to keep their Q3 hopes alive. With five minutes to go, Ferrari’s pace had fallen away, Leclerc now in the clutches of the midfield.
Half a second was the gap between Q3 and safety leaving all drivers from 13th to seventh with an uphill struggle. With three minutes to go, both Audis were on the cusp, before Hamilton jumped up to sixth, relegating Bortoleto. Leclerc gave himself a safety net by moving into second.
At the chequered flag, it was Hulkenberg, both Haas cars, Bearman, Albon and Colapinto who saw their Saturday come to an early end.
Eliminated: Hulkenberg, Bearman, Ocon, Gasly, Albon, Colapinto
Q3
The start of Q3 was delayed by two major issues. Bortoleto crawled to a halt, delaying the start of the session. When it got underway a few minutes later, it was immediately stopped as a large part of Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes flew off, bringing out the red flag and casting a shadow over the Silver Arrows’ second car. The errant part bounced onto the track, with Norris running over it, and damaging his car, the McLaren mechanics examining his MCL40 closely upon his return to the pits.
Antonelli ran wide into Turn 3, compromising his lap. At the end of the first runs Russell held the advantage, with Norris trailing half a second behind in P2. Hadjar was hot on the heels of the McLaren, with both Ferraris now over a second behind the leading in fourth and sixth, separated by the McLaren of Oscar Piastri. Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson had yet to set a time.
After his off-track excursion, Antonelli was sent out before the rest of the field in an attempt to give the young Italian two laps. His first lap sent him to the top of the timesheets, almost clear of his teammate. But Russell reversed this, to put himself into provisional pole position.
One by one, the rest of the top ten tried and failed to match the searing pace of the Mercedes. Hadjar took an impressive third, while Ferrari’s early pace evaporated, falling to over a second behind the leading pace, split by the McLaren of Oscar Piastri. Norris finished a disappointing day in sixth, Hamilton seventh, Lawson eighth, Lindblad ninth and Gabriel Bortoleto in tenth.
Top 10: Russell, Antonelli, Hadjar, Leclerc, Piastri, Norris, Hamilton, Lawson, Lindblad, Bortoleto
READ MORE – F1 2026 Australian Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
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