Kimi Antonelli suffered a heavy crash in final practice at the Australian Grand Prix, while team-mate George Russell underlined Mercedes’ race pace by topping the session with a blistering 1:19.053.
Antonelli lost control at Turn 2 and slammed into the barrier at speed. The 19-year-old was able to climb from the car and was checked by medics, but the damage to the car was substantial and initially left his place in the opening qualifying round uncertain.
Mercedes completed an impressive repair job overnight, and when qualifying was interrupted by a red flag after Max Verstappen crashed in Q1, the team seized the opportunity to get Antonelli back out and through into the later stages of qualifying.
Russell led Practice Three by six-tenths from team-mate Lewis Hamilton, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc third. Hamilton and Leclerc looked the likeliest challengers to Mercedes for pole after both finished ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. New Red Bull signing Isack Hadjar clocked fifth fastest, with Verstappen down in sixth and audible over team radio about issues with his car.
Sky Sports F1 pit-lane reporter Ted Kravitz warned the timing and severity of Antonelli’s crash could have longer-term consequences for his season. He noted that crashing in the final minutes of Practice Three — just before qualifying — is about the worst time to suffer heavy damage, and recalled how Antonelli’s Monza accident in 2024 affected his form for the rest of that year. The hope within Mercedes is that Antonelli can recover mentally and physically and move on quickly.
Practice Three times:
1) George Russell — Mercedes — 1:19.053
2) Lewis Hamilton — Mercedes — +0.616
3) Charles Leclerc — Ferrari — +0.774
4) Oscar Piastri — McLaren — +1.034
5) Isack Hadjar — Red Bull — +1.084
6) Max Verstappen — Red Bull — +1.144
7) Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes — +1.271
8) Lando Norris — McLaren — +1.390
9) Gabriel Bortoleto — Audi — +1.406
10) Oliver Bearman — Haas — +1.725
11) Arvid Lindblad — Racing Bulls — +1.785
12) Liam Lawson — Racing Bulls — +1.837
13) Esteban Ocon — Haas — +1.930
14) Nico Hülkenberg — Audi — +2.014
15) Pierre Gasly — Alpine — +2.018
16) Franco Colapinto — Alpine — +2.360
17) Alex Albon — Williams — +2.611
18) Fernando Alonso — Aston Martin — +3.667
19) Valtteri Bottas — Cadillac — +4.461
20) Sergio Perez — Cadillac — +5.344
21) Carlos Sainz — Williams — no time set
22) Lance Stroll — Aston Martin — no time set
Sky Sports F1 coverage for the Australian weekend includes qualifying and race-day build-up, plus support-race action across Saturday and Sunday. Streaming options are available via Sky Sports and NOW.