The starting grid of the Australian F1 GP
Here is the complete ranking at the end of qualifying and the starting grid for the 2026 F1 Australian GP:
| 1st Row | 1. George Russell – 1:18.518 | |
| Mercedes | ||
| 2. Andrea Kimi Antonelli – 1:18.811 | ||
| Mercedes | ||
| 2nd Row | 3. Isack Hadjar – 1:19.303 | |
| Red Bull-RBPT Ford | ||
| 4. Charles Leclerc – 1:19.327 | ||
| Ferrari | ||
| 3rd Row | 5. Oscar Piastri – 1:19.380 | |
| McLaren-Mercedes | ||
| 6. Lando Norris – 1:19.475 | ||
| McLaren-Mercedes | ||
| 4th Row | 7. Lewis Hamilton – 1:19.478 | |
| Ferrari | ||
| 8. Liam Lawson – 1:19.994 | ||
| Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | ||
| 5th Row | 9. Arvid Lindblad – 1:21.247 | |
| Racing Bulls-Honda RBPT | ||
| 10. Gabriel Bortoleto – Timeless | ||
| Audi | ||
| 6th Row | 11. Nico Hulkenberg – 1:20.303 | |
| Audi | ||
| 12. Oliver Bearman – 1:20.311 | ||
| Haas-Ferrari | ||
| 7th Row | 13. Esteban Ocon – 1:20.491 | |
| Haas-Ferrari | ||
| 14. Pierre Gasly – 1:20.501 | ||
| Alpine-Mercedes | ||
| 8th Row | 15. Alexander Albon – 1:20.941 | |
| Williams-Mercedes | ||
| 16. Franco Colapinto – 1:21.270 | ||
| Alpine-Mercedes | ||
| 9th Row | 17. Fernando Alonso – 1:21.969 | |
| Aston Martin-Honda | ||
| 18. Sergio Perez – 1:22.605 | ||
| Cadillac-Ferrari | ||
| 10th Row | 19. Valtteri Bottas – 1:23.244 | |
| Cadillac-Ferrari | ||
| 20. Max Verstappen – Timeless | ||
| Red Bull-RBPT Ford | ||
| 11th Row | 21. Carlos Sainz – Timeless | |
| Williams-Mercedes | ||
| 22. Lance Stroll – Timeless | ||
| Aston Martin-Honda |
The news of the qualifications in Melbourne
The scenario that we had begun to glimpse in FP2 was confirmed at the end of the first qualifying sessions of the season: Mercedes has a great advantage, at least for the moment, over all its opponents. This is demonstrated by the results of Q3 which inaugurates the new technical era, with George Russell taking pole position with a stratospheric time, just three tenths faster than his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Updating
F1 GP Australia 2026, live and qualifying standings
You can relive the emotions of the first qualifying session of the season, taking place this morning in Australia, with our live coverage.
The weekend program
The Formula 1 paddock will soon go to sleep preparing for the big day, that of the first Grand Prix of the 2026 season. The appointment is for tomorrow, Sunday 8 March 2026, when our alarm clock will knock us out of bed in view of the most awaited traffic lights going out of the year: at 5.00 in the morning in Italy there will be the start of the Australian GP, which will award the first points of the F1 championship. You can find all the weekend times here with the details of the television coverage, and also the deferred ones, in case you prefer to stay in bed a little longer (no one here judges you for this anyway!).
