Australian GP: Russell tops FP3 as Antonelli crashes heavily in Mercedes

George Russell finally showed Mercedes’ hand as he blasted his way to P1 by six-tenths of a second in a late qualifying simulation in final practice.

His teammate Kimi Antonelli didn’t fare as well, crashing heavily as he began his auali sim, destroying the front and rear end of his W17.

George Russell fastest in Australian GP FP3 after Kimi Antonelli crash

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FP3 was delayed by 20 minutes as marshals repaired the Turn 5 barrier following a massive crash in the preceding Formula 3 Sprint race.

Franco Colapinto was the first driver out on track, and laid down a 1:24.222 on the hard Pirellis to get the timesheet going. That was beaten moments later by Lewis Hamilton, three seconds up on the soft tyres.

Aston Martin’s early-season woes continued as Lance Stroll remained stuck in the garage, with the team stating: “Work on the PU prior to FP3 has caused a delay in rebuilding Lance’s car.”

Carlos Sainz, heading back into the pits after an installation lap, stopped at the pit lane entry. That brought out the VSC as the marshals ran down to the stricken Williams. Race Control closed the pit lane as the Spaniard climbed out of his car.

The session was red-flagged, but only a few minutes after Sainz had stopped. The drivers had to drive around Sainz’s Williams to get back into the pits.

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FP3 was back underway with 40 minutes on the clock, Kimi Antonelli grabbing a slipstream from Hamilton to go P1 with a 1:20.324. A lock-up for Hamilton was followed by a double lock-up from Valtteri Bottas, the drivers struggling to get it right into Turn 3.

Leclerc was next up into P1 with Oscar Piastri second ahead of Antonelli; Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes once again looking strong around the Albert Park Circuit. A tow from Max Verstappen boosted Gabriel Bortoleto up into sixth place.

Hamilton returned to P1 by a tenth over Leclerc with Verstappen up to fifth. Three-tenths separated the top five.

There were more troubles for Williams as Alex Albon stopped at Turn 4 in neutral. He was able to get going again.

Piastri briefly overhauled Leclerc for P1 but the Monegasque hit back with a 1:19.827.

With 20 minutes remaining, Aston Martin revealed Stroll would not take part in the session: “Lance will not take part in FP3 due to a suspected ICE issue.”

Mercedes was the first team to leave the pits on new soft tyres for a qualifying simulation… Red flag! Antonelli suffered a huge crash into Turn 3, his W17 suffering severe damage to the front and rear.

Antonelli opened up for a quali sim, got on the kerb, went flying into the outside wall before ricocheting across the track into the inside wall. The Italian climbed out the car unaided.

The FIA announced the session would resume with four minutes on the clock, Lando Norris, Russell and Leclerc leading the queue in the pit lane.

Traffic cost Norris as Russell grabbed a tow for a 1:19.053, fastest of all. He finished six-tenths ahead of Leclerc.

The fastest time from FP3 in 2025 was Piastri’s 1:15.921.

Australian GP FP3 Times

1 George Russell Mercedes 1:19.053
2 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:19.669
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:19.827
4 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:20.087
5 Isack Hadjar Red Bull 1:20.137
6 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:20.197
7 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:20.324
8 Lando Norris McLaren 1:20.443
9 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:20.459
10 Oliver Bearman Haas 1:20.778
11 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls 1:20.838
12 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:20.890
13 Esteban Ocon Haas 1:20.983
14 Nico Hulkenberg Audi 1:21.067
15 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:21.071
16 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:21.413
17 Alex Albon Williams 1:21.664
18 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:22.720
19 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac 1:23.514
20 Sergio Perez Cadillac 1:24.397
21 Carlos Sainz Williams no time – 1 lap
22 Lance Stroll Aston Martin no time

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