Lando Norris secured pole position for the Australian Grand Prix, leading a McLaren front-row lockout alongside teammate Oscar Piastri, while Lewis Hamilton qualified eighth on his Ferrari debut.
Norris and Piastri both struggled on their initial flying laps in Q3 but delivered when it mattered, with the Briton edging out his Australian teammate by 0.084 seconds. Their late surge pushed early pace-setter Max Verstappen to third, with the Red Bull driver finishing 0.385 seconds off the top spot despite brushing the gravel at Turns Nine and Ten.
George Russell put his Mercedes in fourth ahead of the impressive Racing Bull of Yuki Tsunoda and Williams’ Alex Albon. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Hamilton followed in seventh and eighth, with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Williams’ Carlos Sainz rounding out the top ten.
Norris was pleased with his performance but remained cautious about the race, with rain expected on Sunday. “It’s the perfect way to start the year,” he said. “Everyone at McLaren has done an amazing job, but it’s just qualifying. Tomorrow will be tricky, especially with Red Bull’s pace in the wet.”
Hamilton admitted Ferrari has work to do ahead of the race, which starts at 04:00 GMT. “We need to figure out why we’re not on pace with the front runners,” he told Sky Sports. “I’ve never driven this car in the rain, so I’ve got to study the settings tonight. It’s going to be a learning experience.”
Verstappen, who had a difficult Friday, was satisfied with third place. “Yesterday was tough, so I’ll take this,” he said. “The gap to McLaren was big, so even with a perfect lap, I don’t think I could have beaten them.”
Haas driver Oliver Bearman will start last after a challenging weekend, which included a gearbox failure in qualifying following crashes in practice. Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto impressed by out-qualifying Sauber teammate Nico Hulkenberg, while Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson were both eliminated in Q1.
With unpredictable weather on the horizon, the battle for victory in Melbourne remains wide open.
