Lando Norris of McLaren claimed pole position for the Australian Grand Prix, the opening race of the Formula 1 season, narrowly beating his teammate Oscar Piastri by 0.084 seconds in a thrilling qualifying session. The result gave the reigning Teams’ Champions a front row lockout at Albert Park.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen had briefly held provisional pole after the initial Q3 runs, but local favorite Piastri electrified the Melbourne crowd by posting a time four-tenths quicker. However, Norris eclipsed them both with a blistering lap of 1m 15.096s to secure his spot at the top of the grid.
Verstappen will line up third and appears poised to challenge McLaren in the race, while Mercedes’ George Russell qualified fourth. Yuki Tsunoda impressed by taking fifth for Racing Bulls, followed by Alex Albon in sixth for Williams, another midfield squad showing potential.
Ferrari endured a challenging session, with Charles Leclerc and newcomer Lewis Hamilton only managing seventh and eighth respectively. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly grabbed ninth, while Carlos Sainz rounded out the top 10 in his qualifying debut for Williams.
