George Russell will start the opening race of the 2026 F1 season from pole position at Melbourne’s Albert Park.
George Russell clinched pole position at the Australian Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen crashing out in qualifying. Russell dominated all sessions to secure the first pole of F1’s new era, with Kimi Antonelli earning a front-row start alongside him for Mercedes. Verstappen’s crash took him out of contention, while Isack Hadjar qualified third, trailing Russell by 0.785s. Lewis Hamilton struggled in seventh, almost a second behind. In an eventful Q3, Mercedes’ error caused a red flag and debris on track, leading to Russell’s strong pole lap. Hamilton needed a late lap to advance from Q2, while several drivers were eliminated, including Bortoleto’s unfortunate halt in P10 after making it into the top 10.
