Lando Norris secured pole position for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, leading a McLaren front-row lockout with Oscar Piastri in second. Max Verstappen followed in third, while Lewis Hamilton struggled, finishing down in eighth.
Norris and Piastri faced challenges during their Q3 runs, making errors on their initial laps. However, both drivers recovered in their final attempts, with Piastri initially setting the fastest time before Norris edged ahead with a lap time of 1m15.096s, beating his teammate by 0.084 seconds. The rest of the grid failed to match McLaren’s pace, with Verstappen finishing 0.385s off the lead.
Tsunoda and Albon Shine as Midfield Battle Intensifies in Qualifying
Outside the dominant McLaren duo, the rest of the field saw impressive surprises. Williams’ Alex Albon and Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda put in outstanding Q3 performances, securing sixth and fifth places, respectively. George Russell managed fourth for Mercedes, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took seventh, leading teammate Carlos Sainz in tenth.
Pierre Gasly slotted into ninth, just behind Hamilton, as all three ended their sessions with personal best laps. Despite missing coverage in the world feed broadcast, Tsunoda’s late push secured a remarkable top-five finish.
Lando Norris (Formula 1)In Q2, multiple drivers fought hard to progress to the final stage but fell short. Isack Hadjar set a personal best late in the session but failed to advance. Aston Martin faced setbacks as Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll were both eliminated. Alonso’s early off-track excursion at Turn 10 damaged his car’s floor, limiting his performance.
Jack Doohan secured 14th place after a strong late lap, while Ferrari’s drivers struggled with aging soft tires. Gabriel Bortoleto, though failing to progress past Q2, left a lasting impression with a dramatic save at Turn 4.
Shock Q1 Eliminations for Antonelli and Lawson Amid Struggles and Mechanical Issues
Q1 saw some surprising exits, including new Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson. Antonelli produced a strong final effort but was knocked out by Bortoleto’s last-gasp improvement. His earlier lap featured his Mercedes scraping along the track due to floor damage.
Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg and Haas’ Esteban Ocon were also eliminated, finishing in 17th and 19th, respectively. Lawson’s struggles continued as he suffered multiple off-track moments before ultimately aborting his lap.
Liam Lawson endured a tough qualifying session after missing FP3 due to engine troubles. Despite heading out immediately in Q1, he failed to set a competitive lap, making costly mistakes before aborting his run. As a result, he only qualified ahead of the Haas duo of Ocon and Oliver Bearman.
Bearman’s struggles continued as he reported a gearbox issue on his Q1 out-lap, compounding his problems following a crash in FP1, a missed FP2 session, and a gravel excursion in FP3. Both drivers will have significant work to do in the race to recover from their lowly grid positions.
