George Russell in pole in Australia: Antonelli close, Hadjar surprises, Verstappen crashes

George Russell on Mercedes in pole position at the Australian Grand Prix, the first event of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

The time of the British driver is 1'18"518, ahead of his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli by 0"293.

In the second row is a surprising Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), third at 0"785, in front of Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), fourth at 0"809.

The third row is entirely McLaren with Oscar Piastri (+0"862) ahead of Lando Norris (+0"957).

Only seventh is Lewis Hamilton with the other Red car, with a delay of 0"960 from Russell.

Completing the top ten are the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson (+1"476), Arvid Lindblad (+2"729), and the Audi of Gabriel Bortoleto.

Eliminated in Q2 are the two Haas of Oliver Bearman, 12th, and Esteban Ocon, 13th, the two Alpine of Pierre Gasly, 14th, and Franco Colapinto, 16th, along with Nico Hulkenberg (Audi), 11th, and Alexander Albon (Williams).

Into the wall in Q1 is Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who spins out in turn 1 and ends up against the barriers.

No time set by the Dutchman and the same fate for Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) and Carlos Sainz (Williams), who remained in the pits due to reliability issues.

In its F1 debut, the Cadillac is 18th with Sergio Perez and 19th with Valtteri Bottas.