Hamilton smirking as Leclerc looks annoyed in the background on F1 grid — Photo: © IMAGO

Australian Grand Prix

F1 Results Today: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton give Ferrari perfect start at Australian Grand Prix

All the times from FP1 at the Australian Grand Prix

Chris Deeley

Friday 6 March 2026 03:39 Updated: 03:44

After a long winter of speculation and guesswork, F1 got its first taste of how its top teams look outside of a testing context.

Mercedes had been projected as the class of the field after pre-season testing in Bahrain and Barcelona, but Red Bull and Ferrari appeared in FP1 to have the edge – with Charles Leclerc a full second up on George Russell after a lightning-fast final lap to take him ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

Meanwhile, gremlins beset a number of teams as cars hit the track for the first time at a race weekend in 2026.

Article continues under video

Aston Martin's miserable winter continued with a power unit issue keeping Fernando Alonso in the garage for the full hour, while Arvid Lindblad only made it to the pit exit before his Racing Bull conked out, triggering a virtual safety car as he was pushed back by the marshals.

Both McLaren drivers also fought against their machinery, with Oscar Piastri's engine cutting out on track before firing back up, and Lando Norris complaining to his engineers about 'shocking' gear shifts before being parked for the session with gearbox issues.

F1 HEADLINES: Newey to face the music as FIA announce Australian Grand Prix U-turn

Australian Grand Prix FP1 times

Australian Grand Prix FP1 results
Position	Driver	Team	Time
1	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1:20.267
2	Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	+0.469s
3	Max Verstappen	Red Bull	+0.522s
4	Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	+0.820s
5	Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	+1.046s
6	Oscar Piastri	McLaren	+1.075s
7	George Russell	Mercedes	+1.104s
8	Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	+1.109s
9	Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	+1.429s
10	Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	+1.702s
11	Esteban Ocon	Haas	+1.894s
12	Carlos Sainz	Williams	+2.056s
13	Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	+2.346s
14	Oliver Bearman	Haas	+2.415s
15	Alex Albon	Williams	+2.863s
16	Franco Colapinto	Alpine	+3.058s
17	Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	+3.755s
18	Pierre Gasly	Alpine	+3.768s
19	Lando Norris	McLaren	+4.124s
20	Sergio Perez	Cadillac	+4.353s
21	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	+30.067s
22	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	NO TIME

Is there F1 today?

Practice continues in Australia with FP2 on Friday, March 6th at 4pm (local time) and 5am (BST). To read the complete breakdown of practice times and how to watch in select locations click here.

Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Lando Norris Fernando Alonso Australian Grand Prix

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