Australian GP – FP3: Russell impresses, Antonelli crashes heavily

Practice is over, now it's time for the real thing in Melbourne! Free Practice 3 marked the final hour of running for the 22 drivers on the grid before qualifying, scheduled for 6 a.m. French time. It would be more accurate to say 21 drivers, because Lance stroll was deprived of EL3, the victim of yet another problem with the internal combustion engine of its AMR26. On the other hand, all is not lost at Aston Martin, because Fernando Alonso was able to complete 20 laps, without any serious apparent problems.

Regarding the truncated sessions, Carlos Sainz He caused the first red flag of the day by stopping very quickly at the pit lane entrance, preventing him from completing more than one lap. Otherwise, most of the drivers were able to run until the final session interruption caused by Kimi Antonelli.

MAJOR CRASH FOR ANTONELLI 💥

The pilot Mercedes Benz loses control exiting the first corner during FP3.

A lot of repairs needed in preparation for qualifying 😮 #AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/4omNPrEomc

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) March 7, 2026

The Italian lost control with fifteen minutes remaining in Turn 2, destroying his Mercedes, whose rear end was completely pulverized. A real blow just over two hours before the start of qualifying, where the young Italian's participation remains uncertain. For Mercedes, however, it wasn't all bad: the Germans finished the session comfortably at the top of the timesheets. Until then very discreet, preferring to work on his race pace rather than his speed in the flying lap exercise, George Russell clocked an impressive time to take the lead with a margin of more than six-tenths of a second over Lewis Hamilton, second.

Ferrari in good form. Alpine always delicate

The seven-time world champion, however, has reason to be satisfied, as does his garage neighbor. Charles Leclerc, third. The Monegasque driver held first place for a long time, setting lap records on the same set of soft tires. While Russell is more than ever the overwhelming favorite for pole position, the SF-26s of Maranello are not to be outdone and seem to be the second force on the board.

Behind, the pilots McLaren et Red Bull were more discreet, but at Red Bull, Isack Hadjar's performance deserves praise, still in rhythm with Verstappenwhich he even beat in terms of lap times. The Dutchman complained at the end of the session of a problem with his steering column.

While the Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull drivers locked out the top eight positions, Gabriel Bortoleto was "the best of the rest" thanks to his ninth-fastest time. The Audi is starting to establish itself as one of the fastest midfield cars, but the other drivers shouldn't be overlooked. Haas and the Racing Bulls, also in good form.

However, Alpine does not yet seem to have found all the solutions to its problems: Pierre Gasly Franco Colapinto and George Russell finished 15th and 16th respectively, more than two seconds behind the leaders. They finished ahead of only... Williams, the Aston Martins and the Cadillacs.

Now, it's time for the first qualifying session of the year, to be followed from 6 a.m. Paris time, with live text commentary on AUTOhebdo.fr.

ALSO READ > LIVE – Ask us your questions about the first F1 weekend of the season in Melbourne

F1 – Australian Grand Prix
The ranking of Free Practice 3