F1 Starting Grid 2026 Australian Grand Prix

Event: Australian Grand Prix
Track: Albert Park Circuit

Warm-up lap starts at: 15:00 Local | 05:00 CET | 04:00 UK | 20:00 LA | 13:00 Tokyo

Pole position qualifier George Russell (Mercedes), 2nd Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) & 3rd Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) pose for a photo in parc ferme during qualifying ahead for the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on March 07, 2026 (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

After an action-packed qualifying session at Albert Park in Melbourne, the starting grid for the 2026 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix has been set, with Mercedes locking out the front row for the season opener.

George Russell will start the race from pole position, delivering a superb lap of 1:18.518 to secure the first pole of the 2026 season. The Briton heads an impressive Mercedes front-row lockout, with rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli lining up alongside him in second place after an outstanding recovery following his heavy crash earlier in the day.

Behind the Silver Arrows, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar impressed on his debut weekend with the senior team by qualifying third, putting the Frenchman firmly in contention for a podium in his first race with the Milton Keynes outfit. Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari starts fourth, keeping the Scuderia in the fight at the front heading into Sunday’s race.

The third row features the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and reigning world champion Lando Norris, with the Australian hoping to delight the home crowd in Melbourne after showing strong pace throughout the weekend. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton lines up seventh, continuing his first full season with the Scuderia after joining from Mercedes last year.

Further down the grid, Racing Bulls delivered an excellent qualifying performance, placing both drivers inside the top ten with Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson. Meanwhile, Audi rookie Gabriel Bortoleto rounds out the top ten after reaching Q3 before suffering a technical issue late in the session.

The midfield battle remains incredibly tight, with experienced drivers such as Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly all lining up just outside the top ten and hoping to move forward once the lights go out.

Further back, several big names will have work to do during the race. Fernando Alonso starts 17th, while Cadillac drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas begin from the final rows as the American team continues its first Formula 1 campaign.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the session sees Max Verstappen starting down in 20th place after crashing out during Q1, leaving the reigning Red Bull driver with a huge recovery challenge ahead if he hopes to fight his way back into the points.

With 22 cars on the grid for the first time in years, the stage is set for an unpredictable season opener at Albert Park. Strategy, safety cars and the characteristics of the new 2026 regulations could all play a role, meaning the starting order may only tell part of the story once the race begins.

Below is the official provisional starting grid for the 2026 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, as released by the FIA following Saturday’s qualifying session.

Starting Grid 2026 Australian F1 GP

✅ Check out our 2026 Australian F1 GP preview

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Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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