Lando Norris stormed to pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, narrowly beating teammate Oscar Piastri by just 0.084 seconds.
The McLaren duo secured a front-row lockout for the reigning Teams' Champions at Albert Park, marking a strong start to their campaign.
Max Verstappen had initially set the fastest lap in Q3, but Piastri delighted his home crowd by eclipsing the Red Bull driver's time by a stunning four-tenths. However, his moment at the top was short-lived, as Norris produced an even quicker lap of 1m 15.096s to claim pole.
Verstappen had to settle for third but appears set to challenge McLaren in Sunday’s race. George Russell put Mercedes in fourth place, while Yuki Tsunoda delivered a standout performance by securing fifth for Racing Bulls.
Alex Albon impressed with a sixth-place finish for Williams, showing promising pace for the midfield outfit.
Ferrari endured a difficult session, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton only managing seventh and eighth, respectively. Pierre Gasly took ninth for Alpine, while Carlos Sainz rounded out the top ten in his first qualifying session for Williams.
Rookie Isack Hadjar was just outside the top ten in 11th, while Aston Martin had a disappointing Q2 exit, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll qualifying in 12th and 13th.
Jack Doohan put in a solid effort to take 14th for Alpine, but his final lap was compromised by a yellow flag caused by Hamilton’s spin. Gabriel Bortoleto, the 2024 Formula 2 champion, placed 15th in his first qualifying for Kick Sauber.
Ollie Bearman endured a tough session, failing to complete a lap due to a gearbox issue with his Haas. Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli narrowly missed out on progressing past Q1, qualifying in 16th. Liam Lawson had a difficult debut for Red Bull, finishing 18th.
Experienced drivers also struggled in the opening session, with Nico Hülkenberg eliminated in 17th for Kick Sauber, while Haas’ Esteban Ocon was down in 19th, just ahead of his sidelined teammate.
With Norris on pole and McLaren looking strong, all eyes will be on whether Verstappen can challenge the British team in Sunday’s race.
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