Summary

George Russell fastest in Australian GP final practice
Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli OK after big crash
Qualifying in Melbourne at 05:00 GMT
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Tasnim Chowdhury

Report: Russell imposingly fast but huge crash for Antonellipublished at 03:05 GMT
Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent in Melbourne
Image source, Getty Images
Mercedes’ George Russell set an imposing fastest lap in final practice at the Australian Grand Prix after team-mate Kimi Antonelli had a huge accident.
Russell was 0.616 seconds clear of Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari in second place, just over 0.1secs quicker than team-mate Charles Leclerc.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri in fourth place was a second slower than Russell.
Antonelli crashed on the exit of Turn Two with 15 minutes of the session remaining, applying the power just as he went over a bump on the kerb, and that unsettled the rear.
The Italian spun on the exit of the corner and bounced from the outside barrier into the inside wall, causing heavy damage to his Mercedes. He was unhurt.
That left his rivals just five minutes for one final qualifying simulation run at the end.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was sixth fastest, complaining of an energy deployment problem, just behind new team-mate Isack Hadjar.
World champion Lando Norris was eighth, slowest of the drivers from the top four teams.
There was some improvement from Aston Martin, for whom Fernando Alonso narrowed his gap to the front from five seconds on Friday to 3.6secs on Saturday, although he was down in 18th place.
Team-mate Lance Stroll did not run all session because of an engine problem.
Qualifying from 04:30 GMTpublished at 03:04 GMT
George Russell has been the fastest driver in the final practice session at the Australian Grand Prix, putting a gap of 0.616 seconds between him and his former team-mate Lewis Hamilton.
Carlos Sainz's Williams stopped at the entry of the pit lane earlier on in the session and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli had a big crash near the end of the session.
Meanwhile, Lance Stroll missed out on final practice because of an engine issue with his car.
It is going to be an interesting qualifying session next.
We will take a short break but join us again from 04:30 GMT for qualifying.
See you then!

And the restpublished at 02:59 GMT
11. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
12. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
13. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
14. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
15. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
16. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
17. Alex Albon (Williams)
18. Ferando Alonso (Aston Martin)
19. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
20. Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
21. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
Top 10published at 02:56 GMT
1. George Russell (Mercedes) 1:19.053
2. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +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) +1.380
9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) +1.405
10. Oliver Bearman (Haas) +1.725

'Qualifying is going to be fascinating'published at 02:54 GMT
Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Qualifying is going to be absolutely fascinating, I'm even more excited.
We do have one of the cars in George Russell considerably faster than everybody else right now, but don't be put off by those gaps.
Chequered flagpublished at 02:51 GMT
George Russell has set the fastest lap at the end of a hectic final practice session.
The Mercedes driver has set a big gap between himself and second-placed Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari.

'Huge amount of work for Mercedes'published at 02:50 GMT
Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
The upshot of this is that we're rapidly approaching qualifying and there's a huge amount of work for this Mercedes crew now to try and do something about that car.
The back end is utterly destroyed, the front end has major damage to suspension and these are all brand new components, they may not have the full quantity of spares at this early stage of the season.
Postpublished at 02:49 GMT
Image source, Getty Images
It was looking like a good practice session for Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli.
He was the fourth fastest car out on the track before he drove over a kerb on the exit of Turn Two and crashed into the barriers.
Antonelli made his way straight to his race engineer and began looking at the data to see what went wrong.
Qualifying begins at 05:00 GMT and the Mercedes team will be working hard to get the car ready in time.

Green lightspublished at 02:47 GMT
The clock has been ticking down during the red flag.
There is just under five minutes left of the session as cars head out to complete a lap.
Postpublished at 02:43 GMT
Newlywed Charles Leclerc has been the fastest driver in this practice session. He has set a lap time of 1:19.827.
Australian Oscar Piastri sits in second and Lewis Hamilton completes the top three.

'Nightmare for those at Mercedes'published at 02:42 GMT
Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
That's a total nightmare for those at Mercedes!
Over the exit kerb it looks like he unsettled the car and you can only assume because it's not a particularly brutal kerb there, but it looked like it unsettled the car and almost beached out on the kerb which spun him around.
Postpublished at 02:41 GMT
Drivers have headed back into their team garages as the stewards begin to clean up the debris out on the circuit.
Kimi Antonelli has made his way back to the pits and has already started to talk to his race engineer, Pete Bonnington.
Image source, Getty Images

'Strategy is going to be an absolute nightmare this weekend'published at 02:40 GMT
Marc Priestley
Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
I think the weekend is going to be about how operationally smooth you can be. Can you get through cleanly without making mistakes and that's everything from operations of the drivers behind the wheel, but also for the team.
Strategy is going to be an absolute nightmare this weekend. I would hate to be one of the people tasked with that job because there are so many variables and so many are unknown at this point.
Red flagpublished at 02:38 GMT
Oh no. Kimi Antonelli has had a crash on the exit of Turn Two.
His Mercedes runs over the kerb and spins into the barriers.
He seems to be fine as he hops out of the car.
It will be a huge rebuild for the team before the qualifying session.

Postpublished at 02:37 GMT
A bunch of cars are back in the pits while others continue around the track.
Max Verstappen is still in the garage making set up changes to his Red Bull.
There is just over 10 minutes left of the session.
Why has Turn Six at Australian GP been renamed?published at 02:34 GMT
Ask Me Anything
Image source, Getty Images
The Australian Grand Prix has renamed Turn Six at its Albert Park Circuit for 2026 in celebration of International Women's Day.
This is because the opening race of the new season falls on the same date as the commemoration on Sunday, 8 March.
The corner on the Melbourne track will be renamed 'In Her Corner' in tribute to Laura Mueller and Hannah Schmitz, who are two female engineers working in Formula 1.
Mueller is the race engineer at Haas for driver Esteban Ocon. The German is the main point of contact between the driver and the team. Mueller became the first female engineer to take on the role full time in 2025.
Schmitz is the head of race strategy at Red Bull and has worked with various drivers since joining in 2009. The British engineer was a key figure in the team's success in 2022 and 2023.
She is also one of only 11 women to have stood on the podium after a race.
- Read more

Stroll not taking part in FP3published at 02:32 GMT
It is not looking good down at the Aston Martin garage.
The team have said Lance Stroll will not be taking part for the rest of the final practice session because of "a suspected ICE [internal combustion engine] issue".
Top 5published at 02:30 GMT
1. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:19.827
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.337
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +0.349
4. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) +0.497
5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.681

get involved
Get Involved - slow lane on the straights?published at 02:29 GMT
Select the 'Get Involved' button to have your say
To reduce collisions between slow cars harvesting power and others going at full pace, I suggest a slow lane on the straights. Drivers REQUIRED to use it if slower than a percentage of the lap record. 10%? Entry and exit similar to pit lane rules. What do you think?
Hermione, London
Postpublished at 02:27 GMT
McLaren's Oscar Piastri was the fastest driver out on the track in Australia, with a lap time of 1:20.164.
That did not last long as Charles Leclerc knocks him off the top. The Monegasque has set a fast lap time of 1:19.827.

2026 Australian Grand Prix

3rd Practice

Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, 7 March 2026, 01:30

Rank	Driver	Number	Fastest Lap	Laps
1	George Russell Mercedes	63	1:19.053	23
2	Lewis Hamilton Ferrari	44	1:19.669	22
3	Charles Leclerc Ferrari	16	1:19.827	20
4	Oscar Piastri McLaren	81	1:20.087	17
5	Isack Hadjar Red Bull	6	1:20.137	15
6	Max Verstappen Red Bull	3	1:20.197	15
7	Kimi Antonelli Mercedes	12	1:20.324	18
8	Lando Norris McLaren	1	1:20.443	22
9	Gabriel Bortoleto Audi	5	1:20.459	19
10	Oliver Bearman Haas	87	1:20.778	18
11	Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls	41	1:20.838	15
12	Liam Lawson Racing Bulls	30	1:20.890	13
13	Esteban Ocon Haas	31	1:20.983	19
14	Nico Hulkenberg Audi	27	1:21.067	22
15	Pierre Gasly Alpine	10	1:21.071	26
16	Franco Colapinto Alpine	43	1:21.413	22
17	Alexander Albon Williams	23	1:21.664	17
18	Fernando Alonso Aston Martin	14	1:22.720	20
19	Valtteri Bottas Cadillac	77	1:23.514	12
20	Sergio Perez Cadillac	11	1:24.397	21
21	Carlos Sainz Jnr Williams	55	not available	1
22	Lance Stroll Aston Martin	18	not available	not available

Last updated 7th March 2026 at 02:57

Second Practice

Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, 6 March 2026, 05:00

Rank	Driver	Number	Fastest Lap	Laps
1	Oscar Piastri McLaren	81	1:19.729	26
2	Kimi Antonelli Mercedes	12	1:19.943	31
3	George Russell Mercedes	63	1:20.049	28
4	Lewis Hamilton Ferrari	44	1:20.050	32
5	Charles Leclerc Ferrari	16	1:20.291	30
6	Max Verstappen Red Bull	3	1:20.366	13
7	Lando Norris McLaren	1	1:20.794	29
8	Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls	41	1:20.922	30
9	Isack Hadjar Red Bull	6	1:20.941	28
10	Esteban Ocon Haas	31	1:21.179	29
11	Oliver Bearman Haas	87	1:21.326	31
12	Nico Hulkenberg Audi	27	1:21.351	34
13	Liam Lawson Racing Bulls	30	1:21.358	29
14	Gabriel Bortoleto Audi	5	1:21.668	28
15	Alexander Albon Williams	23	1:21.847	32
16	Pierre Gasly Alpine	10	1:22.167	16
17	Carlos Sainz Jnr Williams	55	1:22.253	10
18	Franco Colapinto Alpine	43	1:22.619	27
19	Valtteri Bottas Cadillac	77	1:23.660	28
20	Fernando Alonso Aston Martin	14	1:24.662	18
21	Lance Stroll Aston Martin	18	1:25.816	13
not available	Sergio Perez Cadillac	11	not available	2

Last updated 6th March 2026 at 06:08

First Practice

Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, 6 March 2026, 01:30

Rank	Driver	Number	Fastest Lap	Laps
1	Charles Leclerc Ferrari	16	1:20.267	33
2	Lewis Hamilton Ferrari	44	1:20.736	30
3	Max Verstappen Red Bull	3	1:20.789	27
4	Isack Hadjar Red Bull	6	1:21.087	24
5	Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls	41	1:21.313	22
6	Oscar Piastri McLaren	81	1:21.342	21
7	George Russell Mercedes	63	1:21.371	26
8	Kimi Antonelli Mercedes	12	1:21.376	24
9	Gabriel Bortoleto Audi	5	1:21.696	23
10	Nico Hulkenberg Audi	27	1:21.969	21
11	Esteban Ocon Haas	31	1:22.161	28
12	Carlos Sainz Jnr Williams	55	1:22.323	30
13	Liam Lawson Racing Bulls	30	1:22.613	28
14	Oliver Bearman Haas	87	1:22.682	25
15	Alexander Albon Williams	23	1:23.130	24
16	Franco Colapinto Alpine	43	1:23.325	26
17	Valtteri Bottas Cadillac	77	1:24.022	24
18	Pierre Gasly Alpine	10	1:24.035	27
19	Lando Norris McLaren	1	1:24.391	7
20	Sergio Perez Cadillac	11	1:24.620	14
21	Lance Stroll Aston Martin	18	1:50.334	3
22	Fernando Alonso Aston Martin	14	not available	not available

Last updated 6th March 2026 at 02:36

All times are UK and subject to change. BBC is not responsible for any changes.

Big crash for Antonelli in final practice with Russell fastest

Summary

Send us your F1 views

Live Reporting

Report: Russell imposingly fast but huge crash for Antonellipublished at 03:05 GMT

Qualifying from 04:30 GMTpublished at 03:04 GMT

And the restpublished at 02:59 GMT

Top 10published at 02:56 GMT

'Qualifying is going to be fascinating'published at 02:54 GMT

Chequered flagpublished at 02:51 GMT

'Huge amount of work for Mercedes'published at 02:50 GMT

Postpublished at 02:49 GMT

Green lightspublished at 02:47 GMT

Postpublished at 02:43 GMT

'Nightmare for those at Mercedes'published at 02:42 GMT

Postpublished at 02:41 GMT

'Strategy is going to be an absolute nightmare this weekend'published at 02:40 GMT

Red flagpublished at 02:38 GMT

Postpublished at 02:37 GMT

Why has Turn Six at Australian GP been renamed?published at 02:34 GMT

Stroll not taking part in FP3published at 02:32 GMT

Top 5published at 02:30 GMT

Get Involved - slow lane on the straights?published at 02:29 GMT

Postpublished at 02:27 GMT

2026 Australian Grand Prix

3rd Practice

Second Practice

First Practice

Qualification

Race