F1 Results Today: Russell unleashes TRUE Mercedes pace as Hamilton blown away at Australian GP

A disrupted final practice session at the Australian Grand Prix saw two red flags, one Kimi Antonelli crash and a single stunning George Russell lap.

The teenage Mercedes driver emerged unharmed from the wreckage of his car after losing it on the exit of Turn 2, badly damaging all four corners and leaving his mechanics with a hefty rebuild process before qualifying.

Almost every remaining car made it out after the Antonelli-induced red flag period for a single qualifying simulation lap to end the session, with just Carlos Sainz (who caused an earlier red flag when his car stopped on pit entry) and Lance Stroll (see: Aston Martin) unable to get out of the pits.

George Russell used that time to comprehensively kick the rest of the field's teeth in, topping the timing sheets by more than half a second from former team-mate Lewis Hamilton in second.

That single lap saw Russell unleash the pace which many around the paddock have been insisting that Mercedes have been hiding over the weekend and in pre-season testing, confirming his status as title favourite.

The session had started 20 minutes late as track officials worked to repair barriers damaged by a Formula 3 crash earlier in the day, but that extra time wasn't enough for Aston Martin to get Stroll's car up and running, suffering a suspected internal combustion engine issue.

Australian Grand Prix FP3 times

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Qualifying begins in Australia on Saturday, March 7th at 4pm (local time) and 5am (GMT). To read the complete breakdown of practice times and how to watch in select locations click here.

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