It is a Papaya front row in the opening race of the new 2025 Formula 1 season with Lando Norris leading Oscar Piastri to a McLaren 1-2 at the Australian Grand Prix. Defending world champion Max Verstappen is third for Red Bull.
In the other Red Bull, Liam Lawson was eliminated in Q1, as was new Mercedes recruit Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda producing awesome Q3 efforts for Williams and Racing Bulls respectively.
The McLaren drivers had to work for it on the final runs in Q3, as both made mistakes on their first runs, after which Verstappen led the pack.
Piastri, who slid too deep at the penultimate corner on his first flying lap in the final segment, going at the top of the pack on the final laps – the home crowd favourite set a time of one minute, 15.180 seconds and provisional pole with a huge gain on the rest in the final sector.
But behind came Norris – having lost his first Q3 lap for a track-limits slip at Turn 4 – and Abu Dhabi winner went even quicker in the final sector after leading the opening third too, with pole established at one minute, 15.096 seconds by a 0.084 seconds margin to Piastri.
Because the rest could not match the McLarens, as Verstappen’s Q3 run two improvement left him 0.385 seconds adrift at the finish.
George Russell took fourth for Mercedes, with Tsunoda’s final lap missed by Formula 1’s world television feed as it came after so many of the rest – including Albon ahead on the track – and finished.
The Racing Bulls driver demoted Albon to sixth, plus the Ferrari pair led by Charles Leclerc in seventh.
Lewis Hamilton was eighth in his first qualifying session with the Scuderia.
Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz trailed Hamilton at the end of the top ten, with all three producing personal bests at the end of Q3.
In the middle segment, Isack Hadjar’s late personal best was not enough to progress and it was the same story for the Aston Martin drivers behind – Fernando Alonso leading Lance Stroll – with the racing green team later stating Alonso had damaged his floor in an early Q2 off in the gravel behind Turn 10.
Jack Doohan went to P14 on a late lap set just after Hamilton spun awkwardly at Turn 11 as Ferrari kept its drivers circulating on aging softs, with Gabriel Bortoleto was the last Q2 faller but left a memorable first impression on Formula 1 qualifying by saving a wild moment exiting Turn 4 on his final flier.
In Q1, Bortoleto’s last-gasp improvement knocked out Antonelli, who produced a personal best on his final flying lap after his previous lap had featured his Mercedes scraping dramatically along the ground and the team later said was linked to damage to his car’s floor.
Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and his replacement at Haas, Esteban Ocon, were eliminated in P17 and P19 – either side of Lawson, the other shock Q1 faller.
After missing FP3 with his engine issue he headed out immediately, but multiple wayward moments on his final lap meant he abandoned it in the pits. This was a challenging start for Lawson.
Lawson only qualifies ahead of Oliver Bearman in the other Haas, who reported a gearbox issue on his Q1 outlap, which followed his FP1 crash, missed FP2 and FP3 gravel-beaching.
So an awesome start to the new season with a solid team effort by McLaren to take the front row. Rain is on the horizon on Sunday so expect Max Verstappen to showcase his impressive wet weather driving. Bring on race day!
Australian Grand Prix, qualifying results:
1 Lando Norris McLaren 1:15.096
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:15.180
3 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1:15.481
4 George Russell Mercedes 1:15.546
5 Yuki Tsuonda Racing Bulls 1:15.670
6 Alex Albon Williams 1:15.737
7 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:15.755
8 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:15.973
9 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:15.980
10 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:16.062
11 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 1:16.175
12 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:16.453
13 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:16.483
14 Jack Doohan Alpine 1:16.863
15 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber 1:17.520
16 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:16.525
17 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 1:16.579
18 Liam Lawson Red Bull 1:17.094
19 Esteban Ocon Haas 1:17.147
20 Oliver Bearman Haas No time