Kimi Antonelli had a final third free practice session of the Australian GP far from ideal. With less than 15 minutes until the end of the session, the Mercedes driver suffered a heavy crash into the barrier and caused a red flag.
Read more F1: Bortoleto maintains good pace and is ninth in the third practice of the Australian GP
The young Italian was having a good session before qualifying in Melbourne, even leading the timesheet at one point and appearing in fourth place with a time of 1min20s324, 0s497 slower than the current leader Charles Leclerc.
However, in the final stages of the session at Albert Park, a complicated outcome for the competitor. While on a fast lap, he took too much curb at turn 2 and lost the rear, hitting one side of the track and crossing the circuit, coming to a stop on the grass.
Read more F1: Russell leads Australian GP FP3 after heavy Antonelli crash
He immediately came on the radio to say he was okay and managed to get out of his Mercedes without problems. In the same minute, the red flag waved, suspending activities – it’s worth remembering that in FP sessions, the clock keeps running.
It turns out that qualifying for the opening round of the 2026 Formula 1 season is scheduled for just over 2 hours from then, raising doubts about Antonelli’s participation in the session.
Read more F1: Check out the full FP3 results for the 2026 Australian GP
