After an incident ridden hour, it was George Russel who showed his speed in the final Free Practice at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.
Behind Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were both over six tenths behind, shaping the field up for an exciting qualifying later this afternoon.
So Far This Weekend…
The first race weekend of the 2026 Season hasn’t disappointed. With new regulations and new teams making each session exciting to watch, it has been Mercedes and Ferrari who have shown promise.
In Free Practice One around Albert Park, it was Charles Leclerc who set the pace. Followed behind by his teammate Lewis Hamilton, it was a difficult session for most teams At the back of the field, it was Aston Martin who only set three laps while Arvid Lindblad and Alex Albon both stopped on track.
In Free Practice Two, it was home town hero Oscar Piastri who topped the timesheets. Followed by Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. While they had a solid FP1 outing, Red Bull struggled in the second half of the day, with Vertsappen losing power at the end of the pit lane.
Many teams experiencing reliability issues shapes the field up for an exciting Qualifying and Race in Melbourne.
Slow Start to Final Free Practice
After a twenty minute delay, cars were back on track for the final practice session of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. However, it wasn’t long until a virtual safety car was out as Carlos Sainz lost power at the entrance to the pit lane. With the car unable to restart, the Williams driver was forced to abandon it and walk the remainder of the pit lane.
As the VSC was switched to a Red Flag the cars trundled back to the pits. It wasn’t long until the track was clear again, with all the drivers quick to head back out.
As the lap times started to drop, it was once again Ferrari and Mercedes who found themselves as the top of the time sheets. Audi’s Gabriele Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenburg sat in sixth and eight respectively as the session ticked over halfway. Audi, which has had an incident free opening weekend, are looking to gain valuable points in their new era.
Lap Times Starting To Drop
While race day is a different story, Free Practice Three provided a small glimpse of what could be 2026’s top five teams. As the clock ticked down, it was Ferrari, Mercedes, Audi, McLaren and Red Bull who formed the top ten.
Piastri, who has his own grandstand this weekend, continued to show his form slotting to the top of the timesheets with a 1:20.164. The Australian is looking to break the home race curse. An Australian has never been on the podium since the event joined the F1 calendar in 1985.
Russell showed glimpses of speed around the Albert Park Circuit, however was unable to top the Australian. Alex Albon brought out a brief yellow flag after stopping on track. The Thai driver, who enters his seventh season in 2026, was able to get the car going again.
Fifteen To Go
With only 15 minutes left in Free Practice at the Australian GP, the cars were back on track. Leclerc led the field with a 1:19.827. Elsewhere at the bottom of the standings was Lance Stroll who had yet to set a time.
With 12 minutes left in the session, it was Kimi Antonelli who brought out the Red Flag. A spin heading into Turn 2 left his Mercedes missing a back wheel, his front wing. Antonelli was sent flying into the opposing barrier. With both the front and back of his W17 sustaining heavy damage. Mercedes will face a mammoth task to get his car repaired for Qualifying later this afternoon.
Antonelli’s incident left the clock to run down. With only a few minutes left, only final practice starts were able to take place.
With final runs taking place, it was Russell who jumped to the top of the timesheets with a 1:19.053. Bettering Leclerc by one tenth, Hamilton slips ahead of his teammate.
Piastri was unable to better his time, dropping down to third. While Hadjar betters Verstappen, with the Red Bull duo in fifth and sixth. World Champion Lando Norris falls to eight ahead of Bortoleto. Further back, rookie Arvid Lindblad showed promise, slotting his Racing Bull into 11th.
The Australian Grand Prix continues this afternoon with Qualifying at 4pm AEDT.