Russell storms to pole in Australia while Hamilton 7th down under

Mercedes driver George Russell will start the opening race of the 2026 Formula One season from pole position after delivering a dominant qualifying performance at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Russell produced a commanding lap of one minute 18.518 seconds to secure the first pole position of the new era of regulations, finishing ahead of Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli in second place and Red Bull Racing's Isack Hadjar in third.

The result gives Mercedes a front row lockout to begin the season and signals that the Brackley based team may once again have a competitive advantage at the start of a major regulation change, similar to the dominance they enjoyed following the hybrid power unit overhaul introduced in 2014.

Speaking after the session, Russell said the performance confirmed the potential the team had seen during winter testing.

“We knew there was a lot of potential in the car, but until we get to this first Saturday of the season you never know. It really came alive this afternoon,” Russell said.

“As the track temperature cooled we tend to favour those conditions. Also really happy to have Kimi here because it has been such a hard job from the team to deliver this car. They did an amazing job in the garage as well.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, the Brit said the pace of the car could lead to an exciting contest.

“I’m excited for the race tomorrow and it could bring some quite exciting racing. Hopefully we can deliver a good race.”

Dramatic start to qualifying

The session began with immediate drama in Q1 when four time world champion Max Verstappen crashed at Turn One during his first flying lap.

The Red Bull driver lost control after locking the rear axle and slid into the barrier, triggering a red flag and ending his qualifying session early.

The incident left Verstappen out of the session and starting near the back of the grid.

Also eliminated in the first segment were Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll.

Antonelli shines after repair effort

Qualifying continued to deliver surprises as Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli produced a remarkable performance to secure a front row start.

The Italian almost failed to take part in the session after crashing heavily at the end of Free Practice Three, leaving Mercedes mechanics with less than two hours to rebuild the car.

Antonelli praised the team for getting him back on track.

“It has been a very, very stressful day,” he said.

“In FP3 I went into the wall but the mechanics today were the heroes to put the car back on track. We couldn’t even set up the car. We just went out and managed to put it on the front row.

“Really happy with that.”

Despite the strong result, Antonelli admitted the earlier crash made the session difficult.

“It was not easy, I had to dig deep, but we have a race tomorrow to look ahead to and a good result is possible.”

Hadjar delivers for Red Bull

With Verstappen eliminated early, Isack Hadjar carried Red Bull’s hopes in qualifying and delivered a strong final lap to secure third place on the grid.

The French driver said the team had struggled earlier in the weekend but managed to build pace throughout qualifying.

“It was a very smooth qualifying. The run up to qualifying the whole weekend was a bit difficult,” Hadjar said.

“We were not in a position to fight for the top three. I felt like Ferrari and McLaren were clear of myself but we built up to it through qualifying and it was a very good last lap.”

Asked whether he could challenge the Mercedes cars in the race, Hadjar admitted the pace advantage currently lies with the German team.

“The only thing I can do is take a better start. But they are too fast at the moment.

“I want to keep my position. A second podium would be good.”

Ferrari and McLaren just behind

Behind the top three, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified fourth ahead of home favourite Oscar Piastri for McLaren in fifth.

McLaren driver Lando Norris will start sixth, while seven time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton, now racing for Ferrari, qualified seventh in his second Australian Grand Prix with the Scuderia.

Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson secured eighth place, while his rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad qualified ninth.

Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top ten but was unable to take part in the final segment after his car broke down at the pit entry at the end of Q2.

Because the car stopped before fully entering the pit lane, it was still considered to be on track under FIA regulations and therefore could not be recovered by mechanics, preventing Bortoleto from returning to the session.

Remaining grid order

Outside the top ten, Audi driver Nico Hulkenberg will start eleventh ahead of Haas' Oliver Bearman in twelfth.

Haas’s Esteban Ocon qualified thirteenth with Alpine's Pierre Gasly fourteenth, while Williams driver Alexander Albon finished fifteenth.

Alpine rookie Franco Colapinto qualified sixteenth.

Behind them, Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso will start seventeenth followed by Cadillac’s Sergio Perez in eighteenth and teammate Valtteri Bottas nineteenth.

Verstappen’s crash leaves him twentieth on the grid, with Williams' Carlos Sainz twenty first and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll completing the field in twenty second.