George Russell Leads Final Australia Practice; Kimi Antonelli Crashes Late

George Russell showcased impressive speed during the final practice session for the Australian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver topped the charts amid a tumultuous hour marked by a significant crash involving his teammate, Kimi Antonelli.

Practice Session Highlights

The session began later than scheduled at 12:50 local time, due to repairs following an earlier incident in the F3 Sprint Race. Franco Colapinto from Alpine led the group of cars onto the track, which included notable drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

Key Events During the Session

• Early troubles for Carlos Sainz as his Williams halted near the pit entry.
• The session saw yellow flags and a subsequent Virtual Safety Car while Sainz was assisted.
• After a brief red flag to recover Sainz’s car, action resumed with 38 minutes left.

As the practice continued, Charles Leclerc initially set the fastest time with a lap of 1m 20.271s, taking the lead from Antonelli by a narrow margin. Hamilton soon improved, and towards the halfway mark, more drivers began recording competitive times on soft tires.

Crashes and Changes in Rankings

As the time wound down, a crash at Turn 2 by Antonelli invoked red flags once more. Fortunately, he reported that he was unharmed and later returned to the garage. With under four minutes remaining post-clean-up, cars re-entered the track for their final attempts.

• Russell eventually clinched the top spot with a fastest lap of 1m 19.053s, surpassing Leclerc by an impressive 0.774 seconds.
• Hamilton secured second place, 0.616 seconds off Russell’s pace.
• Leclerc finished third, followed by Oscar Piastri and the Red Bulls, featuring Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen.

Antonelli concluded practice in seventh, and there were concerns about whether his car could be ready for the upcoming qualifying session. Norris, along with drivers from Audi and Haas, rounded out the top ten times. Sainz finished in 21st place, unable to resume after his earlier incident.

Looking Ahead

With the final practice session concluded, the focus now shifts towards the first qualifying session of the 2026 season, which is scheduled to commence at 16:00 local time. Teams and drivers will be eager to rise to the challenge and improve their positions for the race ahead.