Russell Tops Final Practice in Melbourne as New F1 Era Begins
George Russell set the pace for Mercedes in final practice at the Australian GP, concluding a Friday where McLaren and Ferrari also showed leading speed. The sessions provided the first clues of the competitive order under F1's new 2026 rules, with Aston Martin suffering a disastrous day of minimal running ahead of the season's first qualifying.
George Russell set the fastest lap of the Australian Grand Prix weekend in the final practice session, signaling Mercedes' intent ahead of the first qualifying hour of Formula 1's new rules era. The session capped a mixed Friday where McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc also led sessions, while Aston Martin endured a disastrous day with minimal running.
Why it matters:
This is the first competitive glimpse of F1's new technical landscape, and the practice pecking order offers early clues about which teams have adapted best. With Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren all showing strong pace at different points, the stage is set for a potentially unpredictable and tightly contested qualifying session, challenging the established hierarchies from previous seasons.
The details:
- FP3: Mercedes Strikes Back - George Russell (1:19.053s) led a Mercedes 1-3 in the final session, with teammate Kimi Antonelli seventh. Lewis Hamilton, now at Ferrari, split them to take second, 0.616s back.
- FP2: Home Hero Leads - Oscar Piastri topped the second session for McLaren with a 1:19.729s, leading the two Mercedes cars of Antonelli and Russell in a rebound from a troubled FP1.
- FP1: Ferrari's Early Statement - Charles Leclerc led a Ferrari 1-2 in the very first session of the new era, with Hamilton close behind. Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar followed in third and fourth.
- Team-by-Team Form:
- Mercedes: Appeared to dial in their car throughout the day, ending strongly with Russell's benchmark.
- Ferrari: Consistently fast across all three sessions, with both cars near the top.
- McLaren: Showed impressive one-lap pace with Piastri but had reliability concerns, as Lando Norris lost most of FP1 to a gearbox issue.
- Red Bull: Solid but not dominant, with Verstappen never topping a session.
- Aston Martin: Catastrophic day; Fernando Alonso did not run in FP1 and Lance Stroll completed only a handful of laps across the day, ending both later sessions over 3.6 seconds off the pace.
What's next:
All eyes turn to the first qualifying session of the new regulations, which will provide the first definitive grid of the 2026 era. The mixed results from practice suggest no single team has a clear advantage, promising a fierce and unpredictable fight for pole position in Melbourne. The major question mark remains over Aston Martin's ability to repair their car and participate meaningfully in qualifying after a day lost to apparent technical gremlins.