Australia - Qualifying

For a good few months, the weekends of all Formula One fans were quiet. No engine sounds reverberated around their living room walls, and no loud screams paired with crashes and red flags. The winter break was long, but like all things in life, it ultimately came to an end. The sport is officially back, with the 2026 season beginning in the picturesque Melbourne. 

Most cars were lined up in the pit lane as the final countdown started, ready to go out on track as soon as the lights at the end turned green. Alex Albon was the first man to set a time to beat, although the benchmark was quickly lowered by the contenders who came after him. Mercedes' George Russell has ultimately set the fastest time among the drivers' first efforts. While all other drivers decided to bolt on the expected soft tires, Ferrari took the alternative route and drove their first two flying laps on mediums. It worked out great for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, as both of them found themselves in the preliminary top five. 

Not everyone was having such a great day. Back in the garages, Mercedes' mechanics were tirelessly working on Kimi Antonelli's car, trying to ensure that he would have the chance to go out on track despite his earlier FP3 crash. Luck smiled to him when, with seven and a half minutes still on the clock, Max Verstappen's tires locked on the first corner of his first timed attempt, sending him straight toward the wall. A red flag waved over the circuit, and the session was momentarily stopped. The day ended surprisingly early for the five-time World Champion.

Once racing was resumed, Antonelli appeared on track and quickly set a time that all but guaranteed him moving through to Q2. Not all drivers who faced challenges in FP3 had the chance to do so: both Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll finished the session with no time on the board. That, together with Verstappen's crash, meant that three out of the six elimination zone spots were already spoken for. The two Cadillacs took P19 and P18. The last place in the unfortunate group belonged to Fernando Alonso, who had been pushed down at the last minute by Alpine's Franco Colapinto.

The two Ferraris switched to soft tires for the second session of the day, and although Charles Leclerc managed to set a decent time, the same could not be said about his teammate, Lewis Hamilton. The man struggled and bailed out of two attempts, ultimately only putting a lap together with three minutes left on the clock. The two Mercedes comfortably oscillated near the top, with Russell never staying too far from the provisional pole. On the other end of the spectrum were Nico Hulkenberg, Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Franco Colapinto, all of whom found themselves in the bottom six. Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto barely made it through to Q3, but it quickly became clear that he wouldn't be able to start in it. His car stopped at the pit entry, stuck in second gear, and had to be recovered by officials, causing a slight delay to the start of the pole position shootout. 

Q3 was paused before it could truly get going, as Antonelli was released from the garage with two cooling devices still attached to his car. They detached as he made his way through the circuit, with one falling right on track and ending up underneath Lando Norris' front left tire. A red flag waved over the circuit for the second time that day, giving the marshals time to clean up the unexpected debris. 

Upon the drivers' return, Antonelli tried to set a benchmark time but ended up in the gravel, giving his teammate an opportunity to be the driver to do so. After a series of first runs, Norris joined his fellow Brit on the front row, but he was knocked out of the spot when Antonelli's second attempt secured him the provisional pole. Russell found a quick answer and set a time that no other driver could even come close to. Mercedes locked out the front row, with Isack Hadjar, the man in P3, almost 0,8s behind the polesitter. 

Order of the grid:

1. George Russell

2. Kimi Antonelli

3. Isack Hadjar

4. Charles Leclerc

5. Oscar Piastri

6. Lando Norris

7. Lewis Hamilton

8. Liam Lawson

9. Arvid Lindblad

10. Gabriel Bortoleto 

11. Nico Hulkenberg

12. Oliver Bearman

13. Esteban Ocon

14. Pierre Gasly

15. Alex Albon

16. Franco Colapinto

17. Fernando Alonso

18. Sergio Perez

19. Valtteri Bottas

20. Max Verstappen

21. Carlos Sainz

22. Lance Stroll