Positive Beginnings Down Under! Mercedes' George Russell Tops Final FP Ahead Of Australian GP

Last Updated:March 07, 2026, 11:08 IST

Russell's time was sufficient to edge out Hamilton by 0.616 seconds as teams continued to adapt to the new engine and chassis regulations.

Mercedes driver George Russell outpaced Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton during an eventful final practice for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Saturday, while his teammate Kimi Antonelli involved in a significant crash.

Russell, regarded as the pre-season favourite, completed a lap around the Albert Park circuit in an impressive one minute 19.053 seconds on soft tyres, in a session that was twice red-flagged.

Russell’s time was sufficient to edge out Hamilton by 0.616 seconds as teams continued to adapt to the new engine and chassis regulations.

With the hybrid power units’ increased reliance on electrical energy, effective battery management by drivers has become crucial.

The session was overshadowed by Antonelli’s heavy crash into the barriers at Turn 2, which left his Mercedes severely damaged. Fortunately, Antonelli emerged unscathed, declaring, “I’m okay."

Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc secured third place, followed by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in fourth. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen took fifth and sixth places, respectively.

Antonelli finished seventh, while world champion Lando Norris, who faced transmission control issues on Friday, only managed eighth.

On a partly cloudy day, Alpine’s Franco Colapinto was the first to hit the track on hard tyres, but it was Hamilton, on softs, who initially set the pace with a time of 1:20.572.

The session was red-flagged early when Williams’ Carlos Sainz lost power on his way into the pit entry after his first lap, coming to a halt. Marshals had to crane his car off the track, causing an eight-minute interruption, with Sainz unable to continue.

The start of the session had already been delayed by 20 minutes due to debris from a heavy collision in the Formula 3 sprint race.

Once the session resumed, Antonelli quickly overtook Hamilton to lead, with Verstappen moving into third place. However, Hamilton reclaimed the top spot shortly after, leading at the halfway mark ahead of Leclerc, Piastri, and Antonelli, all on soft tyres.

Leclerc and Piastri posted quick laps to take control with 20 minutes remaining before Antonelli’s crash brought the session to a halt once again.

When the track was cleared with just three minutes left, Russell powered through to set the fastest lap, and Hamilton made a late charge to secure second place.

Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll did not leave the garage, while Fernando Alonso completed 20 laps to finish 18th, as the team contended with significant vibration issues in their Honda power unit.

(With Inputs From Agencies)

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