Australian Grand Prix: Russell leads final practice by 0.6s; Antonelli’s significant crash raises concerns for qualifying
George Russell issued a challenge to his Formula 1 competitors ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, clocking the quickest time of the weekend thus far, an impressive 1:19.053 in the closing moments of FP3. Competitors were left impressed by Mercedes’ race pace in FP2, with some suggesting they were a second quicker, and Russell certainly intensified the competition with his time, which was 0.616 seconds faster than Lewis Hamilton, who finished second.
A disrupted final practice saw various issues arise as teams adapted to the new regulations, adjusting their cars for qualifying and pushing them to their limits. Carlos Sainz’s Williams came to a stop just outside the pit lane, prompting a red flag, while teammate Alexander Albon also encountered multiple problems throughout the session.
While Russell’s time positioned Mercedes as clear frontrunners for the season, it wasn’t entirely positive news, as Kimi Antonelli suffered a significant crash in the later stages of final practice, leaving his car damaged. With FP3 running late, qualifying could be postponed, and there may not be sufficient time for Mercedes engineers to repair Antonelli’s vehicle.
Ferrari remains the only team likely to challenge Mercedes this weekend, with Hamilton and Charles Leclerc exchanging fastest times in the early part of the session. Leclerc concluded the session in third, approximately 0.1 seconds behind his teammate, but 0.774 seconds adrift of Russell.
McLaren would also be concerned about Mercedes’ pace ahead of qualifying, with Oscar Piastri achieving the fourth-fastest time, but over a second slower than Russell. Reigning champion Lando Norris continued to face difficulties with his speed, recording the eighth-fastest time of the session.
Max Verstappen was heard expressing concerns about his steering column on the radio in the final moments of practice, which may explain why he was slower than teammate Isaac Hadjar (5th), finishing with the sixth-fastest time overall.
Aston Martin’s challenges persisted, with Lance Stroll unable to set a time due to an engine issue, although Fernando Alonso managed to complete 20 laps while even outpacing the Cadillacs. The Spaniard’s quickest lap was 3.667 seconds slower than Russell’s, but sufficient to remain within the qualifying margin of 107%.
Arvid Lindblad once again outpaced teammate Liam Lawson, with the 18-year-old rookie recording the eleventh-fastest time, closely followed by Lawson. Gabriel Bortoleto continued Audi’s strong performance with the ninth-fastest time, while Oliver Bearman completed the top 10 in his Haas.
Source: espn.com
