Russell Fastest in Final Australian GP Practice as Antonelli Crash Brings Out Red Flag

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George Russell set the fastest time in the third and final practice session for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix, while his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli suffered a heavy crash late in the session that brought out the red flags at Albert Park Circuit.

Russell produced a strong lap of 1:19.053 during the closing stages of FP3, putting his Mercedes comfortably at the top of the timesheets and delivering the quickest time seen across the weekend so far. Lewis Hamilton finished second for Ferrari, more than six tenths behind, while teammate Charles Leclerc secured third place as Ferrari continued to show competitive pace.

Home favourite Oscar Piastri placed fourth for McLaren after a solid session in front of the Melbourne crowd. Max Verstappen completed the top five for Red Bull, followed by teammate Isack Hadjar in sixth as the team gathered crucial setup data ahead of qualifying.

The biggest moment of the session came near the end when Antonelli lost control and crashed heavily at Turn 2. The impact caused significant damage to his Mercedes and immediately triggered a red flag, bringing the session to an early conclusion. Fortunately, the young Italian driver was able to climb out of the car unharmed, though the crash left Mercedes facing a race against time to repair the car before qualifying.

FP3 had already seen interruptions earlier in the session, including a stoppage when a car stopped near the pit entry. Despite the disruptions, teams were able to complete key qualifying simulations as they finalised setups for the season’s first grid-deciding session.

With Russell setting the pace and Ferrari and McLaren close behind, the final practice session has set up an intriguing qualifying battle. Teams now turn their attention to extracting maximum performance as the fight for pole position at the opening race of the 2026 Formula 1 season gets underway in Melbourne.