F1 2026 Australian Grand Prix starting grid with penalties applied

The F1 starting grid for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix is beginning to take shape following the first qualifying session of the new season at Albert Park Circuit.

After a pre-season that depicted Mercedes as the ones to watch, George Russell showed off the true pace of the Silver Arrows when he stormed to pole position, followed shortly after by team-mate Kimi Antonelli.

As a result of their stunning first qualifying of 2026, Toto Wolff's F1 driver duo are set to lock out the front row on Sunday.

Meanwhile, some of the sport's biggest players of the previous regulations cycle weren't in the mix, with reigning champion Lando Norris set to line up sixth for Sunday's main event, as the McLaren star's title defence campaign gets off to a rather lacklustre start.

Likewise, four-time champion Max Verstappen is expected to start at the back of the pack in 20th having crashed out of Q1 after suffering an issue with the rear axle on his new RB22, while his new team-mate Isack Hadjar will line up on the second row.

Where Aston Martin is concerned, both their drivers will be starting the race despite Lance Stroll failing to set a time in qualifying, although it is still looking seriously unlikely that either AMR26 will make it through the full grand prix distance.

Here is the provisional starting grid for the 2026 Australian Grand Prix!

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F1 Starting Grid - Australian Grand Prix

F1 Race times - Australian Grand Prix

Lights out in Melbourne is today (Sunday, March 8, 2026), at 3pm local time (AEDT) at Albert Park Circuit.

Find the race start time converted to your local time zone below:

Australian Grand Prix 2026 Session Times

Race - Sunday, March 8, 2026

How to watch the 2026 Australian Grand Prix live on TV today

Broadcast details vary depending on your location. Check below to see how to tune in for some major countries:

Where to watch: F1 2026 broadcasters by region

* F1 fans in Australia can watch a FREE live stream of every session at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix thanks to coverage on Network Ten.

* F1 fans in the US can access a 7-day free trial to the coverage on Apple TV, which now has rights instead of ESPN from 2026 onwards.

READ MORE: Aston Martin crisis: Newey goes in hard on Honda

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here she realised her background in journalism and love of motorsport could be combined, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work more closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan which she hopes to build on.

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