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Round 01 · 2026

Australian Grand Prix

Albert Park, Australia · 8 March 2026

Russell Wins Season Opener at Australian Grand Prix

George Russell won the Australian Grand Prix, followed by teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli in second and Charles Leclerc in third. Max Verstappen set the fastest lap at 1:22.091 on lap 42. The race took place in dry conditions with 22 classified finishers.

Fastest lap1:22.091VER · lap 42
Conditions23°C36°C track · dry
Pit stops36hard · medium · soft
Championship afterRUS25 pts

Result

  1. 1RUSGeorge Russell25
  2. 2ANTAndrea Kimi Antonelli18
  3. 3LECCharles Leclerc15
  4. 4HAMLewis Hamilton12
  5. 5NORLando Norris10
  6. 6VERMax Verstappen8
  7. 7BEAOliver Bearman6
  8. 8LINArvid Lindblad4
  9. 9BORGabriel Bortoleto2
  10. 10GASPierre Gasly1

Top ten of 22 classified finishers. Points as awarded.

Session schedule

  • Practice 1Fri 6 Mar03:30
  • Practice 2Fri 6 Mar07:00
  • Practice 3Sat 7 Mar02:30
  • QualifyingSat 7 Mar06:00
  • RaceSun 8 Mar05:00

Times shown in Dutch time (Europe/Amsterdam).

Weather

This race weekend is over.

All circuit weather →

Australian GP 2026: Track Evolution and Strategy Insights

Full telemetry →

The Australian Grand Prix weekend showed significant track evolution, with the fastest lap improving by 1.749 seconds from Practice 1 to Qualifying. The race featured 36 pit lane visits, averaging 21.97 seconds, with the quickest being 17.6 seconds. The longest stint was 47 laps on HARD tyres by Car 63, while race conditions included an average air temperature of 24.2°C and track temperature of 36.1°C.

Fastest lap
1:18.518
George RUSSELL · Qualifying
Track evolution
−1.749s
Practice 1 to Qualifying
Pit stops
36
21.97s avg
Quickest pit
17.6s
Car 16
SessionFastest lapSet byAirTrackConditions
Practice 11:20.267Charles LECLERC (Ferrari)20.8°C35.3°CDry
Practice 21:19.729Oscar PIASTRI (McLaren)22.5°C33.3°CDry
Practice 31:19.053George RUSSELL (Mercedes)20.6°C36.9°CDry
Qualifying1:18.518George RUSSELL (Mercedes)———
Race1:22.091Car 3 ()24.2°C36.1°CDry

Three quickest per session

Practice 1
  1. 1. Charles LECLERC1:20.267
  2. 2. Lewis HAMILTON1:20.736
  3. 3. Max VERSTAPPEN1:20.789
Practice 2
  1. 1. Oscar PIASTRI1:19.729
  2. 2. Kimi ANTONELLI1:19.943
  3. 3. George RUSSELL1:20.049
Practice 3
  1. 1. George RUSSELL1:19.053
  2. 2. Lewis HAMILTON1:19.669
  3. 3. Charles LECLERC1:19.827
Qualifying
  1. 1. George RUSSELL1:18.518
  2. 2. Kimi ANTONELLI1:18.811
  3. 3. Isack HADJAR1:19.303
Race
  1. 1. Car 31:22.091
  2. 2. Car 11:22.358
  3. 3. Car 121:22.417

Tyres in the race

Compounds used
Hard, Medium, Soft
Longest stint
47 laps on hard by Car 63
Average stint
18.9 laps