Mercedes can't hide anymore; the Russell-Antonelli duo shows their true speed in qualifying for the Australian 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.

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Formula 1 champion Lando Norris is struggling with his new era McLaren car and frustrated to line up only sixth in Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix. Norris’ title defense comes amid sweeping changes to the cars,

Russell topped all three sessions in F1’s knockout qualifying format, finally casting aside questions of where Mercedes team was in the new-era pecking order. His pole time, at 1 minute, 18.518 seconds, was almost eight-tenths faster than the nearest non-Mercedes challenger, Red Bull rookie Isack Hadjar, who completed the top three.

“ The Team (and the Driver) were unaware that the fan had not been removed until the incident was noted by Race Control. The Stewards determine that because Car 12 left its garage with a piece of equipment still attached, it was released in an unsafe condition and the Stewards impose a fine on the Competitor accordingly.”

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Max Verstappen was cleared by Formula 1's medical team after X-rays on his hands following his crash in qualifying that will see him start from 20th place on the grid in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.

The FIA have released an updated set of regulations