After weeks of underplaying their pace, Mercedes finally unveiled their true speed on Saturday afternoon at Albert Park, with George Russell clocking the fastest lap in a dramatic third practice session marred by red flags and stunning crashes.
Russell clocked a blistering a lap time of 1:19.053, however Mercedes mechanics are racing against the clock to fix his teammate Kimi Antonelli’s car after the youngster collided with the barrier – the Italian young gun walking away unscathed.
Kimi Antonelli’s crash ahead of qualifying at Albert Park.Credit: Credit: Ten
Russell’s sizzling lap was six tenths faster than Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in second, followed by Charles Leclerc and Australian Oscar Piastri in fourth.
Piastri completed an impressive second practice session on Friday to clock the fastest lap for the day, however he struggled with pace early on Saturday.
F1 fans watching Saturday’s practice session got a taste of what the first qualifying session for 2026 could have in store: multiple delays, red flags and crashes.
Antonelli and Mercedes are now facing a race against time to have his car fixed in time for qualifying.
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