Australian GP Qualifying: Lando Norris claims pole position with Lewis Hamilton only eighth on Ferrari debut
Lando Norris edges out team-mate Oscar Piastri for pole as McLaren seal front-row lockout at Australian Grand Prix; Lewis Hamilton only eighth on Ferrari debut; watch the season-opening Australian GP live on Sky Sports F1 at 4am on Sunday, with a full race replay at 8am
Saturday 15 March 2025 17:31, UK
Lando Norris claimed pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as his team-mate Oscar Piastri completed a McLaren front-row lockout.
McLaren, the reigning constructors' champions, had established themselves as clear favourites for pole but put themselves under pressure by blowing their first runs in the final part of qualifying, before both drivers stepped up in the closing moments.
Piastri went to the top of the timesheet but was eclipsed by Norris moments later as the Brit delivered a 1:15.096 to better his team-mate by almost a tenth of a second.
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Max Verstappen, seeking a fifth successive drivers' title, completed an impressive recovery from his Friday practice struggles to take third for Red Bull, but was a considerable margin of nearly four tenths back from Norris.
George Russell was a further tenth back in fourth for Mercedes, who like Red Bull would have been surprised to have so comfortably outperformed Ferrari.
Ferrari had on Friday appeared to be McLaren's biggest challengers but struggled as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton - on his first outing for the Italian team following his blockbuster switch from Mercedes - could only manage seventh and eighth, respectively.
Hamilton was almost nine tenths off Norris' pole time, and two tenths back from his team-mate, having survived a spin during Q2 to advance to the final stage of the session.
They were stunned by a surprise third-row line-up of Racing Bulls' Yuki Tsunoda and Williams' Alex Albon, who delivered brilliant laps in the closing moments of the session.
Alpine's Pierre Gasly was ninth, while Carlos Sainz was 10th on his Williams debut having been replaced by Hamilton at Ferrari.
While McLaren appear to be in control heading into Sunday's race, live on Sky Sports F1 at 4am, the forecast of rain in Melbourne has the potential to eliminate their advantage and create opportunities for their rivals.
Antonelli, Lawson knocked out in Q1
There was a surprise Q1 exit for Andrea Kimi Antonelli on his Mercedes debut as the Italian teenager qualified 16th.
He had looked assured throughout practice but damaged the floor of his car by running into a gravel trap and was left unable to find enough pace to advance as fellow rookie Gabriel Bortoleto knocked him out in the closing moments.
Liam Lawson was also knocked out in Q1 as he endured a miserable first qualifying session for Red Bull after a lack of preparation time following a power unit issue in final practice.
Lawson struggled for pace on his first Q1 run before then making errors to go off track with his second and third efforts, leaving him to start from 18th on Sunday.
British rookie Oliver Bearman's nightmare start to his first full F1 campaign continued as a gearbox failure prevented him from setting a time in Q1.
The Haas driver missed second practice after damaging his car with a big crash in the opening session, and then beached his car in the gravel just a couple of minutes into final practice earlier on Saturday.
Norris salutes 'perfect' start as Hamilton surprised at lack of pace
McLaren appeared to be producing the dominance many had predicted following pre-season testing, with only Verstappen coming close to them in the first two parts of qualifying.
However, on the first of their two planned runs in Q3, Piastri made a mistake in the final sector, while Norris had his time deleted for a track-limits breach.
That created what Norris described as "a difficult mindset" for the final run, but both blew away the opposition.
"It's a perfect way to start the year," Norris said. "But it's just qualifying. Let's wait and see tomorrow. It will be a tricky race but today was a perfect way to start.
"The car is extremely quick and when you put it together it's unbelievable, but it's just difficult to put it together.
"It was a little fight between me and Oscar today, a tough one, especially after my first lap when I went off and got track limits.
"I knew the second lap, you're in a tough position. You need to take a lot of risk but make sure you do a clean lap."
Hamilton had been the centre of attention all weekend on his Ferrari debut, but his and Ferrari's shortcomings made him little more than a spectator to the pole contest playing out between the McLarens.
The seven-time world champion had to use an extra set of soft tyres after leaving himself vulnerable in Q1, and then highlighted his lack of comfort at the wheel of the SF-25 by spinning at the exit of Turn 11 in the latter stages of Q2.
Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: "I had a really good time out there today. Everything has been a first this weekend. My first practice sessions with Ferrari, my first qualifying.
"It's been a lot of work to really adapt, this car is so much different here to what I've experienced in the past. But it's been interesting.
"I definitely didn't know that we'd be eight tenths off today but there is a lot to dissect for sure."
Sky Sports F1's live Australian GP schedule
Sunday March 16
- 12.25am: F2 Feature Race*
- 2.30am: Australian GP build-up: Grand Prix Sunday*
- 4am: THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX*
- 6am: Australian GP reaction: Chequered Flag*
- 7am: Ted's Notebook*
- 7.55am: Australian GP race replay
- 10am: Australian GP highlights (also on Sky Showcase)
- 7pm: Villeneuve Pironi - Racing's Untold Tragedy
*Also on Sky Sports Main Event
Watch all 24 race weekends from the 2025 Formula 1 season live on Sky Sports F1, starting with the Australian GP on March 14-16. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - No contract, cancel anytime
