Russell lands late FP3 flyer as Antonelli’s 17G crash disrupts Australian GP practice

Mercedes’ George Russell smashed to the top of FP3 in Melbourne with a late 1:19.053 as a disrupted session was peppered by barrier-repair delays and two red flags, including Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s violent Turn 2 crash that left the Mercedes junior uninjured but forced the team to assess damage. Earlier, Hamilton and Leclerc topped times before Russell’s final effort, with Piastri and Hadjar among the others in the top five; Alonso showed some improvement for Aston Martin while Stroll did not set a representative time due to an engine issue. Qualifying for the F1 Australian GP is at 4pm local time.