HIGHLIGHTS: Catch the action from final practice at Albert Park as Russell sets the pace and Antonelli crashes
It was a session of contrasting fortunes for Mercedes, with George Russell topping the timesheets and team mate Kimi Antonelli crashing out.
George Russell put Mercedes at the top of the timesheets with an eye-catching lap in Saturday’s third and final practice session ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.
Russell produced a 1m 19.053s lap to finish some six-tenths up on nearest rival Lewis Hamilton, with the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and the Red Bulls of Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen completing the top six.
While one Mercedes led the way, the other ended up in the wall – Kimi Antonelli dramatically crashing out of proceedings late on and leaving his mechanics with plenty of work to do in the build-up to Qualifying.
Elsewhere, there were further issues for Williams pair Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, along with plenty more lock-ups and slides as drivers continued to push the limits of their new machines.
Hit go on the video player at the top of the page to watch the FP3 action from Australia.
Next Up
Related Articles
Leclerc wary of ‘very, very strong’ Mercedes in Australia
What the teams said – Friday in Australia
Piastri 'not going to have a rebellious streak' in 2026
Watch the highlights from FP1 in Australia as 2026 kicks off
FIA Team Principals press conference – Australia
Piastri's journey from Melbourne kid to newest Australian F1 star