George Russell claimed a dominant pole position for Mercedes at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, with team-mate Kimi Antonelli completing a one-two for the Silver Arrows.
Russell was nearly three-tenths quicker than Antonelli, while Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar impressed on his debut to take third, roughly half a second further back. Antonelli had been in doubt for qualifying after a heavy crash in final practice, but Mercedes repaired his car in time for him to rejoin the action in the closing moments of Q1.
Mercedes were fined €7,500 (£6,500) following Q3 for releasing Antonelli’s car in unsafe conditions. Cooling devices had been left on the car and later detached on track; a red flag was triggered when Lando Norris ran over one of the devices. Antonelli avoided a grid penalty.
Russell described it as ‘a great day’, praising the team and saying the car felt more like ‘the Mercedes of the good, old days’. He added that cooler track temperatures had helped and paid tribute to the garage for getting Antonelli back on track.
Qualifying was interrupted early when Max Verstappen crashed in Q1, bringing out a red flag and leaving the four-time world champion 20th on the grid. Verstappen later confirmed he was cleared to race after X-rays on his wrists showed no breaks, saying he was ‘all good’.
There was consolation for Red Bull as Hadjar finished ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who took fourth despite deployment issues during the session. McLaren split the Ferraris with Oscar Piastri fifth and Lando Norris sixth. Lewis Hamilton could only manage seventh as Ferrari’s one-lap pace faded when it mattered.
Midfield pace was notable from Racing Bulls, with Liam Lawson eighth and rookie team-mate Arvid Lindblad ninth. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto ended Q3 in 10th but did not post a time in that segment after his car broke down while entering the pit lane at the end of Q2.
The Q2 eliminations were led by Nico Hülkenberg in 11th, followed by Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon. Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto also missed out on a Q3 spot.
Knocked out in Q1 were Fernando Alonso in 17th — a small respite for Aston Martin amid early-season problems — followed by Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Verstappen. Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll did not set times after technical issues: Stroll could not take part due to problems with Aston Martin’s Honda power units, while Sainz suffered a fault in final practice.
Saturday’s result reinforced Mercedes’ position as pre-season favourites after a winter of regulation change. While Ferrari and Red Bull had shown speed in testing and on Friday, Mercedes’ stronger long-run pace in practice and their Saturday qualifying performance suggest they may hold the initial advantage at Albert Park. Antonelli’s crash and the team’s frantic repairs were the main reasons a Mercedes front row had seemed uncertain earlier in the day.
Teams now head into the first race with new 2026 power units and chassis, with pit-stop risks and hotter conditions forecast for Sunday likely to test reliability. Russell warned of pit-lane perils, and all teams will be watching closely how the new units cope in higher temperatures.
Australian GP qualifying timesheet
1) George Russell — Mercedes — 1:18.518
2) Kimi Antonelli — Mercedes — +0.293
3) Isack Hadjar — Red Bull — +0.785
4) Charles Leclerc — Ferrari — +0.809
5) Oscar Piastri — McLaren — +0.862
6) Lando Norris — McLaren — +0.957
7) Lewis Hamilton — Ferrari — +0.960
8) Liam Lawson — Racing Bulls — +1.476
9) Arvid Lindblad — Racing Bulls — +2.729
10) Gabriel Bortoleto — Audi — no time set in Q3
Knocked out in Q2
11) Nico Hülkenberg — Audi — 1:20.303
12) Oliver Bearman — Haas — 1:20.311
13) Esteban Ocon — Haas — 1:20.491
14) Pierre Gasly — Alpine — 1:20.501
15) Alex Albon — Williams — 1:20.941
16) Franco Colapinto — Alpine — 1:21.270
Knocked out in Q1
17) Fernando Alonso — Aston Martin — 1:22.969
18) Sergio Perez — Cadillac — 1:22.605
19) Valtteri Bottas — Cadillac — 1:23.244
20) Max Verstappen — Red Bull — no time set
21) Carlos Sainz — Williams — no time set
22) Lance Stroll — Aston Martin — no time set
Sky Sports F1 coverage reminder: Sunday’s schedule includes support races and build-up ahead of the Australian Grand Prix; viewers can stream Sky Sports via NOW.