2026 Australian GP Qualifying Results
Every car frozen on the finish line, with each gap to George Russell’s pole shown to scale in real metres. Qualifying at Melbourne, round 1.
Open the interactive 3D Gap Visualizer →Australian Grand Prix 2026 Qualifying: what happened
George Russell took pole for the Australian Grand Prix 2026 Qualifying with a 1:18.518 for Mercedes at Melbourne. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) was 0.293s behind, and at racing speed that is 24.1 m of track between them as they crossed the line.
Isack Hadjar completed the top three for Red Bull Racing, 0.785s off George Russell. Across the whole classified order the field spread out to 1932.8 m, from George Russell to Max Verstappen.
The closest call of the session was between Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton: 0.003s apart, about 0.25 m at speed.
| # | Driver | Team | Lap time | Gap | Behind (to scale) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:18.518 | Pole | — |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:18.811 | +0.293 | 24.1 m |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:19.303 | +0.785 | 64.5 m |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:19.327 | +0.809 | 66.5 m |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:19.380 | +0.862 | 70.9 m |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:19.475 | +0.957 | 78.7 m |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:19.478 | +0.960 | 78.9 m |
| 8 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:19.994 | +1.476 | 121.4 m |
| 9 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:20.221 | +1.703 | 140.0 m |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:20.303 | +1.785 | 146.8 m |
| 11 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:20.311 | +1.793 | 147.4 m |
| 12 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:20.491 | +1.973 | 162.2 m |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:20.501 | +1.983 | 163.0 m |
| 14 | Alexander Albon | Williams | 1:20.941 | +2.423 | 199.2 m |
| 15 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:21.200 | +2.682 | 220.5 m |
| 16 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:21.247 | +2.729 | 224.4 m |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:21.969 | +3.451 | 283.7 m |
| 18 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac | 1:22.605 | +4.087 | 336.0 m |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:23.244 | +4.726 | 388.6 m |
| 20 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:42.025 | +23.507 | 1932.8 m |
How big is the gap, really?
George Russell took qualifying pole at the Australian Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:18.518. On the timesheet the field looks bunched into tenths, but at racing speed those tenths stretch out: from pole to Max Verstappen the field covers 1932.8 m. Open the 3D visualizer to see it to scale, car by car.
Australian Grand Prix 2026 Qualifying: your questions
- Who took pole at the Australian Grand Prix 2026?
- George Russell (Mercedes) took pole at the Australian Grand Prix 2026 qualifying with a 1:18.518 at Melbourne.
- How close was qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix 2026?
- George Russell beat Kimi Antonelli to pole by 0.293s. At racing speed that margin is 24.1 m of track. Across the whole field, from pole to Max Verstappen in P20, the spread is 23.507s or 1932.8 m.
- How far behind was Kimi Antonelli at the Australian Grand Prix 2026?
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) qualified P2 in qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:18.811, 0.293s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 24.1 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Isack Hadjar at the Australian Grand Prix 2026?
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull Racing) qualified P3 in qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:19.303, 0.785s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 64.5 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Charles Leclerc at the Australian Grand Prix 2026?
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) qualified P4 in qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:19.327, 0.809s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 66.5 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Oscar Piastri at the Australian Grand Prix 2026?
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) qualified P5 in qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:19.380, 0.862s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 70.9 m of track behind.
- How far behind was Lando Norris at the Australian Grand Prix 2026?
- Lando Norris (McLaren) qualified P6 in qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix 2026 with a 1:19.475, 0.957s behind George Russell's pole. Converted to distance at racing speed, that is 78.7 m of track behind.
- How much is a tenth of a second in metres at Melbourne?
- On this lap a tenth of a second is worth roughly 8.2 m of track. That is why Kimi Antonelli's 0.293s at the Australian Grand Prix 2026 puts 24.1 m between the cars on the finish line.