Who stands where at the F1 Australian Grand Prix 2026 after qualifying

The 2026 Formula 1 season officially kicked off with a dramatic qualifying session at Albert Park for the F1 Australian Grand Prix 2026. Mercedes dominated the session, signalling a strong start to the new era of technical regulations. George Russell secured the first pole position of the 2026 season with a dominant lap time of 1:18.518, leading a Mercedes front-row lockout.

Mercedes appeared to have the clear advantage with their 2026 power unit, with Russell topping every segment of qualifying. Kimi Antonelli recovered from a heavy FP3 crash to qualify P2, though he remained under investigation for an unsafe release involving cooling fans left on the car.

Max Verstappen crashed out in Q1 but for the very first time, Isack Hadjar impressed on his Red Bull debut by taking P3, breaking the second seat curse. The reigning World Champion (2025) Lando Norris on P6 had a messy Friday with gearbox issues. Oscar Piastri outqualified his teammate, missing out on P3 by less than a tenth of a second. The McLaren MCL39 looks solid but appears to be the third-fastest car currently.

Charles Leclerc secured a second-row start, he admitted after the session that Ferrari seems to be on the back foot compared to the Mercedes engine's raw power. Lewis Hamilton (P7) in his first qualifying for Ferrari, Lewis struggled with balance. He was actually faster than Leclerc in Q1 on the Medium tires, but couldn't find the same gains when everyone switched to Softs for the final shootout.

Gabriel Bortoleto successfully put the new Audi works team into Q3, though a technical issue on his in-lap prevented him from setting a final time in the shootout. Both Carlos Sainz (Williams) and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) failed to participate in the session due to reliability issues earlier in the day. The 11th team on the grid, Cadillac (using Ferrari power), had a learning day in the literal sense as the team dealt with hydraulic failures and sensor issues all weekend. Their main goal for tomorrow is simply to finish the race and gather data.

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