Russell Fastest in Final Australian GP Practice, Antonelli Crashes
George Russell set the pace in the final practice session on , besting both Ferrari drivers as teams prepare for the upcoming race.
The session began 20 minutes late due to barrier repairs following an incident in the Formula 3 sprint race. Initially, track activity was limited.
After 10 minutes, Carlos Sainz Jr. Stopped on track at the pit entry, prompting the deployment of the Virtual Safety Car (VSC). The Williams driver attempted to restart the car, but was unable to do so and exited the vehicle. Red flags were subsequently shown.
Aston Martin continues to grapple with issues. While Honda aimed to mitigate vibration problems, the team still faces challenges. Fernando Alonso completed 20 laps, matching the lap count of the Cadillac drivers. Whereas, Lance Stroll did not participate in the session due to a power unit problem.
A significant incident occurred 13 minutes before the end of the session when Kimi Antonelli crashed heavily in Turn 2, sustaining damage to both the front and rear of his car.
Marshals worked quickly to clear the track, and the session was restarted with four minutes remaining.
Russell ultimately posted the fastest time, finishing 0.616 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
Results
| P. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps | Tyre. |
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:19.053 | 23 | soft | |
| 2 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:19.669 | 0.616 | 22 | soft |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:19.827 | 0.774 | 20 | soft |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:20.087 | 1.034 | 17 | soft |
| 5 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:20.137 | 1.084 | 15 | soft |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:20.197 | 1.144 | 15 | soft |
| 7 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:20.324 | 1.271 | 18 | soft |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:20.443 | 1.390 | 22 | soft |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:20.459 | 1.406 | 19 | soft |
| 10 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:20.778 | 1.725 | 18 | soft |
| 11 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:20.838 | 1.785 | 15 | soft |
| 12 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:20.890 | 1.837 | 13 | hard |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 1:20.983 | 1.930 | 19 | soft |
| 14 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | 1:21.067 | 2.014 | 22 | soft |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:21.071 | 2.018 | 26 | soft |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:21.413 | 2.360 | 22 | soft |
| 17 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:21.664 | 2.611 | 17 | soft |
| 18 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:22.720 | 3.667 | 20 | soft |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:23.514 | 4.461 | 12 | soft |
| 20 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac | 1:24.397 | 5.344 | 21 | medium |
| 21 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | – | – | 1 |
Session Highlights
3:50: The session concludes.
3:49: Russell takes the top spot.
3:46: Excellent work by the marshals! We are back underway.
3:37: Antonelli crashes heavily. He is unharmed, but his car is significantly damaged.
3:37: Red flags are displayed.
3:37: Yellow flags are shown.
3:33: Stroll will not participate in the session due to a power unit issue.
3:26: Albon briefly stopped on track but was able to rejoin the session.
3:26: Stroll remains in the garage. Alonso has completed 13 laps, comparable to other drivers.
3:26: Leclerc improves his time.
3:24: Piastri moves into first place.
3:20: Hamilton sets the fastest time.
3:18: Leclerc takes the lead.
3:15: Antonelli surpasses Hamilton for the top spot.
3:14: All drivers are on track except for Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz.
3:11: The session resumes.
3:04: Red flags are shown.
3:00: The VSC is deployed.
2:59: Sainz stops on track at the pit entry.
2:58: Yellow flags are displayed.
2:55: Several drivers immediately headed out on soft tires.
2:50: The session begins.
2:43: The start of the session is delayed by 15 minutes due to barrier repairs following the Formula 3 sprint race incident.
2:31: There was an intriguing development overnight. In Melbourne, Notice five DRS zones. Some drivers expressed concerns during Friday evening’s briefing that the reduced downforce when activating DRS in these zones could lead to a loss of control, particularly in traffic.
Zone 4 was initially removed. However, this decision has now been reversed. FIA stated: “Following feedback from teams and drivers in the last hour and further analysis provided by the teams, the decision to remove Zone 4 for DRS activation is reversed. Further evaluation will take place during and after FP3.”
2:29: The start of the session has been delayed until 2:50 PM due to barrier repairs following an incident in the F3 race.
2:25: Welcome to live coverage of the final practice session.