As Formula 1's brave new 2026 era starts in Melbourne, here are five quick takeways from Australian Grand Prix qualifying

George Russell swept to the first pole of the 2026 Formula 1 season with a dominant display for Mercedes in Australian GP qualifying

George Russell edges Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli to claim pole, while world champion Lando Norris qualifies sixth in Melbourne

The back of the field, knocked out in Q1, is led by Aston Martin's Franando Alonso, followed by the Cadillacs of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. Verstappen will start 20th with neither Carlos Sainz nor Lance Stroll putting down a qualifying lap following their damage in Saturday's Free Practice session.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Mercedes has revealed its dominant hand during qualifying for Sunday’s Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. George Russell earned his ninth-career pole position Saturday ahead of his teammate Kimi Antonelli for the team's 83rd front-row lockout and its first since the 2024 British Grand Prix.

Here's how qualifying works in Formula 1 following some minor tweaks made to accommodate Cadillac's entry as the 11th team on the 2026 grid.

Check out the complete F1 results from the qualifying session at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix in

Stella has weighed in on the deluge of driver complaints about Formula 1's 2026 cars after the season's first qualifying session at the Australian Grand Prix