Russell leads chaotic session marked by two red flags, heavy crash for Antonelli and decisive final lap that put Mercedes as the main candidate for pole in Melbourne.
Read more F1: Check out the full FP3 results for the 2026 Australian GP
George Russell finished in first position in the third free practice for the Australian GP, held this Friday (March 6) in Melbourne. The final session before qualifying was marked by two red flags, including a heavy crash for Kimi Antonelli, and by a chaotic finish, with many drivers swapping positions. Behind the Mercedes driver was the Ferrari duo. Lewis Hamilton was second and Charles Leclerc, third.
FP3 started with a delay after a heavy crash in the Formula 3 race damaged the protection barriers at the Albert Park circuit. Despite the violence of the impact, the drivers involved were unhurt, but it was necessary to replace part of the protections, which delayed the start of the Formula 1 activity.
When the session began, some teams immediately went for fast laps on soft tires, while others opted for medium or hard compounds for initial pace evaluations. Nico Hülkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto were some of the drivers who went to the track early using soft tires.
The first interruption occurred when Carlos Sainz stopped on track with his Williams. Initially, the Virtual Safety Car was deployed, but race control decided to stop the practice with a red flag to allow the car to be removed, an operation that took time because the transmission was engaged, preventing the single-seater from being pushed by the marshals.
After the session resumed, the battle for the best times gained intensity. Gabriel Bortoleto even produced one of the strongest laps of the practice at that moment, recording the best second sector of the track and jumping to fourth position.
Shortly after, Lewis Hamilton took the provisional lead, while Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc also appeared among the fastest.
The session suffered another interruption when Kimi Antonelli lost control of the car at Turn 2 and hit the barrier hard with the rear. The Mercedes driver got out of the car on his own and reported he was fine, being taken to the medical center only as a protocol. The car, however, suffered significant damage.
With about ten minutes remaining, the practice was resumed, but only four minutes remained on the clock for the drivers to attempt their final fast laps.
Read more 2026 Australian GP: F1 Qualifying live at Albert Park
In this chaotic scenario, many cars queued at the pit exit and some drivers didn’t even have time to start a full lap. Even so, several times improved in the final moments.
George Russell took advantage of the last attempt and put Mercedes in the lead of the session, opening up almost eight-tenths over Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton also improved his mark and finished about six-tenths behind his teammate.
In the final seconds, Lando Norris moved up to fifth position, while Isack Hadjar advanced to fifth place at one point before Max Verstappen appeared right behind. Arvid Lindblad also drew attention by putting Racing Bulls in the top 10.
Bortoleto managed to improve his time in the final moments and even momentarily surpassed Verstappen during the lap, but ended up finishing the practice in ninth position. Oliver Bearman closed the top 10, while Esteban Ocon finished 13th.
The qualifying session that will define the starting grid for the Australian GP takes place in the early hours of Friday to Saturday (7) at 2 am, Brasília time, at the Albert Park circuit.
Follow all the information of the Australian GP live and in real time at F1Mania.net.
Check out the FP3 results for the 2026 F1 Australian GP:
1) George Russell (Mercedes), 1’19.053
2) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 1’19.669
3) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 1’19.827
4) Oscar Piastri (McLaren/Mercedes), 1’20.087
5) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford), 1’20.137
6) Max Verstappen (Red Bull/Red Bull Ford), 1’20.197
7) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 1’20.324
8) Lando Norris (McLaren/Mercedes), 1’20.443
9) Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi), 1’20.459
10) Oliver Bearman (Haas/Ferrari), 1’20.778
11) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford), 1’20.838
12) Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford), 1’20.890
13) Esteban Ocon (Haas/Ferrari), 1’20.983
14) Nico Hülkenberg (Audi), 1’21.067
15) Pierre Gasly (Alpine/Mercedes), 1’21.071
16) Franco Colapinto (Alpine/Mercedes), 1’21.413
17) Alexander Albon (Williams/Mercedes), 1’21.664
18) Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin/Honda), 1’22.720
19) Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac/Ferrari), 1’23.514
20) Sergio Pérez (Cadillac/Ferrari), 1’24.397
21) Carlos Sainz (Williams/Mercedes), s/tempo
Read more F1: Bortoleto reaches Q3, has a problem with Audi and starts 10th in Australia
