Norris edges Piastri for dominant McLaren front-row at the Australian GP
Lando Norris surged to pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, edging out his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by a mere 0.084 seconds to secure a front-row lockout for the reigning Teams’ Champions. After Max Verstappen initially secured provisional pole during the first runs of Q3, Piastri thrilled his home crowd by stunningly beating that effort by four-tenths.
However, the Australian did not keep P1 for long, as Norris went even faster, clocking a lap of 1m 15.096s. Verstappen wound up in third, seemingly ready to take the fight to McLaren, while George Russell was fourth for Mercedes.
Yuki Tsunoda impressed with a fifth-place finish in the Racing Bulls machine. Alex Albon put his Williams in sixth, indicating potential for the midfield team.
The Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had to settle for seventh and eighth in a session that was not entirely smooth for the Scuderia. Pierre Gasly rounded out the top 10 for Alpine, while Carlos Sainz ended his first Qualifying for Williams in P10.
The weekend was eye-catching for Racing Bulls, with rookie Isack Hadjar just missing the top 10, finishing in P11. Aston Martin suffered a double elimination in Q2, with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll exiting in P12 and P13, respectively. Jack Doohan put his Alpine in 14th during a solid session, the Australian abandoning his final lap after yellow flags were briefly thrown in Q2 following a spin from Hamilton. 2024 F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto finished 15th in his first outing for Kick Sauber.
Ollie Bearman's challenging weekend continued in Qualifying, as the Haas youngster couldn't put in any laps due to a gearbox issue. Fellow rookie Kimi Antonelli also faced a tough Q1, just missing the cut in P16.
Liam Lawson had an early exit on his Red Bull debut, finishing P18. Some experienced names also bowed out early, with Nico Hulkenberg in P17 for Kick Sauber and Haas' Esteban Ocon down in P19, one place ahead of his sidelined teammate.
All eyes were on the first Qualifying session of the 2025 season in Melbourne after an eventful final practice. Oliver Bearman's weekend woes continued with a gearbox issue that kept him from setting a time.
Lando Norris set the early pace with a 1m 16.003s lap, just over one-hundredth of a second clear of a racy-looking Max Verstappen. Rookie issues continued as Lawson hit the gravel, triggering yellow flags and finishing in P18.
Antonelli faced similar struggles, dipping a wheel in the gravel and ending P16. Gasly made it through to the top 10 after facing initial elimination, while teammate Doohan and an at-risk Hamilton improved late in the session. Knocked out in Q1 were Antonelli, Hulkenberg, Lawson, Ocon, and Bearman.
Q2 saw Verstappen setting the initial pace before being displaced by Norris and Piastri on fresh soft tires. Hamilton's spin brought out yellow flags, compromising several drivers' final runs. Despite the chaos, Norris went quickest with a 1m 15.415s. Hadjar missed Q3 by a small margin, finishing P11. Alonso and Stroll ended in P12 and P13, respectively, while Doohan and Bortoleto faced Q2 exits. Knocked out in Q2 were Hadjar, Alonso, Stroll, Doohan, and Bortoleto.
The top-10 shootout in Q3 saw intense drama with Leclerc briefly holding provisional pole before Verstappen and Russell bettered his time.
Norris had his initial time deleted for exceeding track limits but stormed back to take pole with a stunning 1m 15.096s lap. Piastri delighted home fans by claiming second, but Verstappen reclaimed third from Russell in the final runs.
Tsunoda continued his impressive showing by taking fifth. Williams showed promise with Albon in sixth, while Ferrari had a challenging session, with Leclerc and Hamilton in seventh and eighth. Gasly finished in ninth, with Sainz completing the top 10 for Williams.
Norris' impressive performance sets the stage for an exciting Australian Grand Prix, marking a perfect start to the 2025 season for McLaren.
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