The 2026 Formula 1 F1 Australian GP FP3 session provided the last opportunity for teams to get valuable mileage in on the Albert Park Circuit before Saturday afternoons Qualifying session.
In Friday’s FP1, Charles Leclerc set the fastest time with a 1:20.267, topping the opening practice session of the 2026 season. Later in FP2, Oscar Piastri put McLaren at the top of the timesheets with a new benchmark of 1:19.729, while the Mercedes duo completed the top three.
Early on Saturday morning, FIA announced it would remove straight-line mode between Turns 8 and 9 (Zone #4) for safety reasons, following concerns raised by drivers. During Friday night’s drivers’ briefing, several competitors reported experiencing front and rear instability through the high-speed section, warning that the sliding could lead to a loss of control on the curved approach to Turn 9, particularly when running in traffic.
However, only a few hours later, the FIA reversed the change for the time being after some teams pushed back on the earlier directive. If the change did occur, it would force engineers to rethink their energy strategy and general set up, as the long flat-out section between Turn 8 and 9 is crucial for energy harvesting.
The governing body confirmed that the section will be monitored closely, with further evaluation set to take place during and after FP3.
Start of the 2026 F1 Australian GP FP3 delayed
FP3 at the Albert Park Circuit was delayed by 20 minutes following an earlier crash in the FIA F3 Sprint Race, as barrier repairs were required before the session could start.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin were still completing power unit work on Lance Stroll’s car, with mechanics continuing to reassemble the vehicle as the session was about to get underway.
Red Flag for Sainz
Reliability issues that affected the Williams Racing drivers on Friday appeared to persist into Saturday. Carlos Sainz was forced to stop at the pit lane entry after his car became stuck in gear and could not be placed in neutral.
Race Control initially closed the pit lane entry and deployed a Virtual Safety Car. As there was no safe way to recover the car, officials red-flagged the session. The pit lane was later reopened to allow drivers already on track to return to the pits.
The session resumed with 40 minutes remaining, with all drivers apart from Sainz and Stroll heading back out on track.
Drivers begin their laps
Antonelli set the early benchmark on soft tyres with a 1:20.324, with Lewis Hamilton two tenths behind. Max Verstappen slotted into third as lap times began to tumble.
Charles Leclerc was next to move to the top of the timesheets with a 1:20.271, before Oscar Piastri responded with a 1:20.317. Hamilton briefly reclaimed the top spot with a 1:20.176.
Piastri then jumped to the top of the order, edging Hamilton by just 0.012 seconds. The benchmark lowered again when Leclerc was the first driver to break into the 1:19s.
Their were brief yellow flags for Albon, as he had a PU issue and came to a stop on track, but was able to get his Williams machinery on the move again.
With 25 minutes remaining, the top ten featured both Scuderia Ferrari drivers, both Red Bull Racing entries, the two Racing Bulls cars, both Audi F1 Team machines, along with Piastri and Antonelli.
Stroll not making an appearance in FP3
Aston Martin confirmed that Stroll would not take part in FP3 due to a suspected internal combustion engine (ICE) issue. The team hopes to have the problem resolved ahead of Qualifying later in the afternoon.
Stroll completed only 16 laps across the opening two practice sessions, limiting his preparation heading into the remainder of the weekend at the Albert Park Circuit.
When the track action resumed, Hülkenberg was the first driver to head back out on track on a fresh set of tyres. Despite improving his time, he remained outside the top ten and around 1.2 seconds off the benchmark set by Leclerc.
Red Flag for Antonelli
With 12 minutes remaining of the 2026 F1 Australian GP FP3 session, both Mercedes drivers headed out for their final flying laps. Russell was setting the pace, lighting up the timing screens with purple sectors in both the first and second sectors.
His teammate Antonelli was less fortunate. Riding aggressively over the kerbs at Turn 2, the Italian lost the rear of the car and crashed heavily, making contact with both sides of the circuit and causing significant damage to the front and rear of his Mercedes. The incident brought out the Red Flag.
The FP3 session resumed with 4 minutes left. Norris was first out, but encountered a lot of traffic on his lap, only managing to go P5, sixth tenths down. Russell soared to the top of the timings with a 1:19.053, putting seven tenths between himself and Leclerc.
Hamilton moved into P2, but still sixth tenths behind Russell. Piastri sat in P4, Hadjar moved to P5, about a second off the pace, with Verstappen slotting into P6. Antonelli’s earlier time had him in P7, with Norris P8, Bortoleto in P9 and Bearman in P10.
