In Melbourne, Australia, McLaren secured the front row for Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, outperforming notable competitors such as Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari. The event saw Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton taking off from seventh and eighth positions on the grid. Lando Norris achieved his first pole position at Albert Park with an outstanding final qualifying lap, marking his tenth career pole. He had his teammate, Oscar Piastri, right next to him, as they impressed a record crowd of 136,347 spectators. After the session, Norris expressed appreciation for the strong start to the year over his team radio.
Lewis Hamilton, despite his position, was optimistic about the performance gains his team had made over the weekend. He conceded that the qualifying results were unexpected but acknowledged the steep learning curve at the season’s onset. Norris had a challenging Q3, initially falling into difficulty due to a track limits violation. Yet, he excelled when it counted, ultimately securing the top spot. He mentioned the high-risk nature of the track, which demands commitment and accurate targeting through each turn.
Norris anticipates sustaining his strong form into the race, with recollections of past successes in Bahrain and previous races at Melbourne reinforcing his confidence. Piastri, although starting second, was pleased with making the most of his lap and acknowledged the possibility of being the first Australian to win his home F1 Grand Prix. However, he remained focused on optimizing the race, with weather conditions looking uncertain due to predicted rain.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen qualified third, having overcome any pre-season performance doubts regarding the RB21 car. Despite this, he was realistic about his ability to challenge the McLarens, acknowledging the performance gap. His new teammate, Liam Lawson, was further down in 18th, raising questions about team choices for 2025.
For Mercedes, despite showing strong practice runs, George Russell qualified fourth, while rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli had a challenging F1 debut, finishing 16th. Ferrari found itself in a less favorable position, with Leclerc and Hamilton starting seventh and eighth, focusing more on securing points than podium spots.
Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s second team, demonstrated their prowess with Yuki Tsunoda achieving his best starting position since the Brazil 2024 race, finishing fifth. His teammate, French rookie Isack Hadjar, earned a commendable 11th place start. Williams verified its pre-season form with Alex Albon starting in sixth and the defending Australian champion Carlos Sainz in ninth. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly slipped into the 10th spot, followed by his teammate Jack Doohan a few positions back.
