Qualifying-pace

Mercedes made a major overnight step in Monaco FP3, Antonelli found a much more compliant front end, Leclerc stayed lurking with hidden pace, and Russell still has plenty of margin on the table heading into qualifying.

Ferrari ended Friday on top in Monaco with Leclerc and Hamilton leading the way across the two practice sessions, but Verstappen remains close, Mercedes still has balance concerns, and the SF26 looks especially strong around the barriers.

First day of practice in Melbourne reveals drivers are now remote-controlled by pit walls managing hybrid energy. McLaren sandbagging with extreme coasting, Mercedes building race pace consistency, while Aston Martin struggles with reliability. Ferrari balances between single-lap pace and stability.