Australian Grand Prix LIVE: Lap-by-lap updates as the largest rule modifications in F1 historical past are put to the check in Melbourne

Here’s George Russell’s amazing pole lap. At about the 43-second mark you’ll hear his car slow down before he downshifts ahead of turns eight and nine.

That used to be the most challenging part of the track for drivers – with the best taking the ultra-quick left-right sequence flat-out.

It’s a very different story in 2026.

Quick as he was, Russell – like every other driver in the field – has been super clipping on the long, straight section before the turns in order to recharge his battery.

Super clipping involves using the petrol part of the engine to divert power to the electrical system, and the drop in speed that has resulted has been as severe as 70kmh in some cases.

Bear in mind that this is in qualifying, which has traditionally been fans’ best chance to see the machinery pushed to its absolute limit over one blazingly fast lap.

Not anymore.

Yes, Melbourne is one of the worst tracks for the new rules, but there are plenty of similar circuits coming up on the calendar – like Monza and Las Vegas.

The reaction from fans online has been borderline rabid, with many saying the new regulations have ripped the heart out of the sport – and agreeing with Max Verstappen, who described the new regs as ‘Formula E on steroids’.

The drivers’ parade has just finished and this seasons’ stars have posed for their group shot out on pit straight…

Barring any late-breaking developments, here’s how the field will sit on the grid come 3pm local time…

1. George Russell, Mercedes

2. Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

3. Isack Hadjar, Red Bull

4. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

5. Oscar Piastri, McLaren

6. Lando Norris, McLaren

7. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

8. Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls

9. Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls

10. Gabriel Bortoleto, Audi

11. Nico Hulkenberg, Audi

12. Oliver Bearman, Haas

13. Esteban Ocon, Haas

14. Pierre Gasly, Alpine

15. Alexander Albon, Williams

16. Franco Colapinto, Alpine

17. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

18. Sergio Perez, Cadillac

19. Valtteri Bottas, Cadillac

20. Max Verstappen, Red Bull

21. Carlos Sainz, Williams

22. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

Reigning world champion Lando Norris didn’t hold back when he was asked for his thoughts on the new breed of F1 car after putting his McLaren sixth on the grid for today’s race.

The biggest rule change in the sport’s history means this year’s engines make 50 per cent of their power via the battery – as opposed to just 20 per cent in the previous hybrid era, which began in 2014.

That seismic shift means the drivers have to constantly top up their battery in heavy braking zones – or by ‘super clipping’, which means using the petrol engine to fill up the battery.

Because Melbourne is one of the year’s quickest, most flowing tracks, with few heavy braking zones, there has been a lot of super clipping – and it’s gone down like a lead balloon because that means the cars are slowing down drastically in some of the fastest spots on the circuit.

‘Everyone knows what the issues are,’ said Norris. ‘It’s a 50-50 split and it just doesn’t work.

‘You decelerate so much before corners, you have to lift everywhere to make sure the battery pack is at the top.

‘If the pack is too high, you’re also screwed. It’s just difficult, but it’s what we have. It doesn’t feel good as a driver, but I’m sure George is smiling.

‘We’ve come from the best cars ever made in Formula One, and the nicest to drive, to probably the worst. It sucks, but you have to live with it.’

Norris’s dismay was matched by Max Verstappen.

‘I’m not enjoying it at all,’ the four-time champ said after crashing out of qualifying.

‘It also doesn’t matter to me where I qualify. Whether it would have been at the front or where I am now, emotionally and in terms of feeling, it’s completely empty.

‘The formula is just not correct. And that is something that is a bit harder to change. But I think we need to.’

Rumours that Mercedes had spent all of preseason testing sandbagging and telling fibs about Red Bull and Ferrari being quicker than them were confirmed in the most emphatic way possible on Saturday.

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli were several cuts above the rest of the field, with the Briton crossing the line a frightening eight tenths of a second ahead of Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull.

That left fans from teams like Ferrari – who struggled in the last section of qualifying after an impressive testing run – fearing that we’re seeing a repeat of 2014, when Mercedes aced the new hybrid engine rules and set up a long period of sustained dominance.

However, that gap might be a little misleading due to what befell Max Verstappen.

The four-time world champion crashed out (pictured below) on the first corner of his first fast lap when the rear of his car appeared to lock up without warning.

He’ll start 20th of 22, but given Hadjar’s impressive pace in his first quali for the team, it’s safe to say Verstappen could have cut further into the Silver Arrows’ lead.

Thanks for joining the Daily Mail’s live coverage of the Australian Grand Prix.

Stay with us as we bring you all the latest lap-by-lap updates from Albert Park, where the biggest rule changes in the sport’s history will be put to their first real test as Oscar Piastri tries to become the first Aussie to win the race since Alan Jones in 1980.

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