Russell secures pole to open F1 season at Australian GP

George Russell captured pole position for the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday to open the 2026 Formula 1 season.

It's the eighth career pole for the Mercedes driver, and his first in Melbourne. Russell finished third at the circuit during last season's race.

It's Mercedes' first pole in Australia since 2019.

"It's the first step in a long season," Russell said.

Position	Driver	Team	Time
1	George Russell	Mercedes	1:18.518
2	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+0.293
3	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	+0.785
4	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	+0.809
5	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+0.862
6	Lando Norris	McLaren	+0.957
7	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+0.960
8	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	+1.476
9	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	+2.729
10	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	No time
11	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	Q2
12	Oliver Bearman	Haas	Q2
13	Esteban Ocon	Haas	Q2
14	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	Q2
15	Alex Albon	Williams	Q2
16	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	Q2
17	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	Q1
18	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	Q1
19	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	Q1
20	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	No time
21	Carlos Sainz	Williams	No time
22	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	No time

Russell's teammate Kimi Antonelli qualified second but is set to meet with the stewards after qualifying following an unsafe release.

Lando Norris, the reigning drivers' champion and the 2025 winner at the Albert Park Circuit, qualified sixth.

Max Verstappen crashed into the barrier in Q1 causing a red flag and will start Sunday's race from 20th.

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