Australian Grand Prix 2026: Live Updates & Race Results

45/58:

1. Rus
2. Ant
3. Lec
4. Ham
5. Nor
6. Ver
7. Bea
8. Lin
9. Bor
10. Gas

45/58: Verstappen overtook Norris.

42/58: Verstappen is heading to the pits.

40/58: Bearman is ahead of Lindblad.

40/58: Leclerc is still 9.6 seconds behind Antonelli. It appears the Mercedes team will not be making pit stops.

39/58: Leclerc set the fastest lap…

39/58: Norris moved into seventh place ahead of Bearman. Though, the Haas team is having a strong race.

35/58: Alonso is out of the race… for now.

35/58: Verstappen attempted to pass Norris, but Norris is heading to the pits.

34/58: The brief VSC period ends… Bortoleto, Albon and Sainz are in the pits.

34/58: VSC… debris on the track. The Cadillac is falling apart.

32/58: The situation at the front is relatively stable. Leclerc is gradually losing ground. Will the Mercedes team make another pit stop? A safety car could change things.

30/58

1. Rus
2. Ant
3. Lec
4. Ham
5. Nor
6. Ver
7. Lin
8. Bea
9. Bor
10. Gas

29/58: Leclerc is now 7.6 seconds behind Antonelli.

28/58: Russell takes the lead… and Hamilton heads to the pits.

27/58: Alonso has rejoined the race…

26/58: Russell is nearly catching Hamilton.

26/58: Leclerc is in the pits…

25/58: An investigation is underway regarding a (contact) incident between Gasly and Ocon.

23/58: Russell is 4.2 seconds behind Hamilton.

21/58: Verstappen moves into sixth place ahead of Lindblad…

20/58: The VSC period ends…

19/58: Lindblad, Verstappen, Bearman, and Bortoleto are in the pits. But the pit lane is now closed.

18/58: Yellow flags… and a VSC. Bottas is out of the race.

17/58: Ferrari, Lindblad, Verstappen, Bearman, Bortoleto, and Pérez did not make pit stops.

16/58: Russell is now 8.7 seconds behind.

15/58: Alonso heads to the pits and is out…

14/58: Russell is 10 seconds behind Hamilton.

14/58: The VSC ends… the Ferrari mechanics were prepared, but both drivers remain on the track.

13/58: The Mercedes drivers are heading to the pits, while the Ferraris remain on the track.

12/58:

1. Lec
2. Rus
3. Ham
4. Ant
5. Lin
6. Ver
7. Bea
8. Bor
9. Alb
10. Nor

12/58: A VSC has been declared. Norris, Ocon, and Gasly… are heading to the pits.

12/58: Hadjar is out! Smoke is coming from his car…

11/58: Verstappen is now ninth. Fifth-place Hadjar is more than 6 seconds behind Mercedes and Ferrari.

10/58: Colapinto receives a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for the start procedure.

9/58: Russell attempted an overtake but overshot. Hamilton arrived on the scene and Antonelli is also closing in.

8/58: And Leclerc is back in first…

8/58: Russell takes the lead…

7/58: Russell is unhappy with Leclerc’s actions.

7/58: Russell attempted to pass Leclerc, but Leclerc held his position…

6/58: Antonelli is now fourth. He is 4.5 seconds behind Hamilton.

5/58: Verstappen is making progress and is now 12th. Antonelli is also moving up and is fifth.

4/58:

1. Lec
2. Rus
3. Ham
4. Had
5. Lin
6. Ant
7. Nor
8. Oco
9. Gas
10. Bor

3/58: And Leclerc takes the lead!

2/58: Alonso is on soft tires but still… tenth!

2/58: Russell passes Leclerc…

2/58:

1. Lec
2. Rus
3. Ham
4. Had
5. Lin
6. Nor
7. Ant
8. Oco
9. Gas
10. Alo
11. Bor
12. Alb
13. Bea
14. Sai
15. Bot
16. Ver
17. Col
18. Law
19. Per
20. Str

Start: Antonelli is down to seventh!

Start: Leclerc has a great start and is first!

5:00: The drivers are heading out for the warm-up lap…

4:57: Tire choices for the start:

• Soft: Alonso, Sainz
• Medium: Most drivers
• Hard: Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Bottas, Verstappen.

4:53: Hulkenberg is being removed from the starting grid. He will start from the pit lane, if possible.

4:49: Development is extremely dynamic… Antonelli has fitted a third ancillary component (out of 6 allowed) according to the FIA. These are various parts listed in Appendix 4 of the Technical Regulations.

4:48: Starting grid

4:45: Strategies:

4:41: It’s reasonable to expect a high number of retirements today, given concerns about reliability. Several issues, including vibrations and parts shortages, were observed during practice, particularly with Aston Martin.

4:40: The start procedure will be slightly longer this year, requiring more attention. Before the red lights, drivers will see blue lights, giving them more time to engage the turbo.

4:39: Russell will start from pole position, with Antonelli alongside. Hadjar and Leclerc will be in the second row.

Max Verstappen, after a qualifying crash, will start from 20th position.

4:38:

4:31: Jenson Button commented to Sky regarding Piastri: “Devastating. He’s in a really precarious position. Cold tires, on the curb – it all came together at once. Maybe he shifted up too early, or it gave him a big torque jolt on the shift.”

4:26: It’s possible George Russell could win today – if the car holds up. Russell, and Mercedes in general, dominated qualifying yesterday. A driver starting from pole position has won in 43% of cases here.

4:25: This high number is also due to the fact that only 3 drivers in history have won in Melbourne more than twice – Michael Schumacher (4), Jenson Button (3), and Sebastian Vettel (3).

4:29: Seven previous Grand Prix winners are on the grid today:

• Lewis Hamilton: 2
• Fernando Alonso: 1
• Valtteri Bottas: 1
• Charles Leclerc: 1
• Max Verstappen: 1
• Carlos Sainz: 1
• Lando Norris 1

4:25: Russell has already fitted new components. Sainz has fitted a new battery and control electronics, and an ancillary component. Stroll and Bortoleto have also fitted a new ancillary component.

4:24: Where’s Lewis’s dad when you need him…

4:22: Oscar Piastri is out of the car and out of the race!

4:20: The drivers are heading to the starting grid…

4:20: Welcome to our live coverage of the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.