Australian Grand Prix live qualifying: Mercedes clinch pole after stunning qualifying; Piastri, Norris with work to do on race day

Mercedes star George Russell is thrilled to be starting tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix from pole, but he has left no doubt as to what he thinks about the new regulations in 2026.

“These new cars are very hard to drive,” Russell admitted during a post-qualifying press conference.

The British driver – who clinched his maiden Australian Grand Prix pole – was surprised by the gap between the Mercedes and other cars.

Both he and Antonelli commended the Mercedes team for their work on the 2026 car with Russell calling it “an amazing car”.

“I think the goal for us is to make the finish line because we honestly don’t know what’s going to happen [tomorrow on race day],” Russell said.

“Of course, we want to win, we want to be on board, we want to dominate the weekend, but it’s a really long season, and we need to get through tomorrow and just have a clean race, because at any point you can stumble, and that could be the end of your day.”

A candid Isack Hadjar was pleased with his result in third but admitted Red Bull does not have the pace to challenge the Mercedes.

George Russell had a sublime qualifying session in his Mercedes.Credit: AP

George Russell (pole): It was a great day. We knew there was a lot of potential in the car… it really came alive this afternoon.
It’s not easy to drive [the new cars], and not easy for some of the fans to understand, however I’m excited for the race tomorrow.
Hopefully we can deliver a good race.

Kimi Antonelli (second): It’s been a very, very stressful day. Unfortunately in Fp3 I went into the wall, but the mechanics are the heroes... on the front row [after qualifying], I’m really, really happy with that.
We have a race tomorrow to look ahead, and a good result is possible.

Isack Hadjar (third): It was a very smooth qualifying. The run-up to qualifying, the whole weekend, was difficult.
They’re [the Mercedes] are just too fast at the moment.

Mercedes have banked on their pre-season prowess and shown huge pace, with George Russell snatching pole with a flying lap at Albert Park on Saturday.

George Russell is on pole Credit: Joe Armao

The British star clocked a blistering lap time of 1:18.518, with his teammate Kimi Antonelli second – a far cry from his crash in practice that threw even his qualifying participation into doubt. In an impressive debut for Red Bull, Isack Hadjar is set to start third.

Meanwhile, Charles Leclerc will likely start fourth, with hometown hero Oscar Piastri fifth with his McLaren teammate Lando Norris behind him in sixth.

Why all the qualifiers? We just need to wait and see if the stewards penalise Mercedes for an unsafe pit release for Antonelli’s car. He was allowed onto the track with a piece of equipment still attached to the side pod. That then came loose, and was hit by Norris on the track.

Kimi Antonelli will likely be investigated after a piece of his car was left on track, even though it was a team error.

The young Italian locked up during his lap and went wide but was able to recover. However, it’s had a big impact on his lap time.

His teammate George Russell still leads the session, with Norris and Leclerc behind him – with a gap of six tenths.

Oh dear.

Cameras have shown a piece of Kimi Antonelli’s car has been left on track, triggering a red flag with less than 10 minutes to go.

Lando Norris then proceeded to hit the debris, smashing it to pieces and triggering fear of damage to his own car.

The first grand prix weekend of each F1 season is always particularly dramatic, but this is truly something else.

Oscar Piastri in action at Albert Park.Credit: Joe Armao

While snatching pole looks unlikely, Oscar Piastri can still hope to nab third or fourth on the grid.

Both McLaren drivers have made it to Q3, however they have formidable competition in the flying Mercedes and George Russell, whose lap time remains dominant and unconquered.

In sad news for Audi, Gabriel Bortoleto made it to Q3, however his car stopped. Because he did not make it across the line to enter the pits, he’s now out of qualifying.

11th - Nico Hulkenberg

12th - Ollie Bearman

13th - Esteban Ocon

14th - Pierre Gasly

15th - Alex Albon

16th - Franco Colapinto

Oscar Piastri is still half a second behind George Russell after clocking a lap time of 1.19.525.

Without jinxing things, it looks like it might Mercedes might be on the front row on Sunday. Both Russell and Antonelli are flying.