Mercedes delivered a steady and consistent performance during the opening two practice sessions of the Australian Grand Prix 2026 at Albert Park, with both drivers regularly featuring inside the top positions.
What worked
Mercedes showed consistent top-10 pace across both sessions. In FP1, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished seventh and eighth, while the team improved further in FP2 with Antonelli briefly running as high as second during the session.
The car also appeared competitive on long-run pace and tyre management, suggesting strong race simulation performance.
Another positive was the performance of rookie Kimi Antonelli, who impressed with clean and quick laps throughout the sessions, indicating strong adaptation to the car and track.
What didn’t
Despite their consistency, Mercedes were not quite at the very front of the field, with lap times generally between three-tenths and one second slower than the session leaders during key runs.
There was also a minor pit-lane incident, where Russell made contact with Arvid Lindblad, causing some front wing damage.
Overall
Mercedes appear reliable and competitive after the first two practice sessions, with solid race pace potential. However, the team may still need to find extra performance to challenge the frontrunners during qualifying.