Australian Grand Prix: Lando Norris beats McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to pole for opening race of 2025 F1 season

Lando Norris clinched pole place on Saturday for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix forward of teammate Oscar Piastri as McLaren fired a warning shot to their rivals.

In scorching scorching circumstances at Melbourne’s Albert Park, world champion Max Verstappen got here third in tense qualifying.

Mercedes’ George Russell will maintain Purple Bull’s four-time world champion firm on the second row. Lewis Hamilton will begin in eighth on his Ferrari debut.

“It’s the right strategy to begin the yr. An enormous congrats to the workforce, everybody has finished a tremendous job to begin with a one-two,” mentioned Norris after his tenth profession pole.

“However it’s simply quali, proper? Let’s see tomorrow,” he added.

“The automobile is extraordinarily fast. Whenever you put it collectively it’s unbelievable, however it’s onerous to place it collectively.

“I’m by no means going to get forward of myself, I’m assured the automobile is in place however we’ve got by no means run it within the moist.”

The forecast for Sunday’s race is cooler temperatures and rain.

Norris eclipsed his rivals with a flying lap of 1 minute 15.096 seconds on mushy tyres, 0.084sec forward of Piastri.

“Fairly pleased, nice to begin the yr on the entrance row,” mentioned Piastri.

“Fairly pleased with how qualifying went however simply not fairly sufficient in Q3, however it’s a lengthy season so begin,” added the Australian.

“Perhaps left a little bit bit on the desk.”

📻 “Not a nasty strategy to begin the yr”

Kicking off the season with a front-row lockout for @McLaren 🟠#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/XuayZNbDD1

— System 1 (@F1) March 15, 2025

No Australian driver has received their dwelling race since Alan Jones in 1980, however that was a non-championship race earlier than Australia was added to the F1 calendar in 1985.

Verstappen, who was the pole-sitter in 2023 and 2024, was three-tenths behind Norris.

However his rookie teammate Liam Lawson, who changed the underperforming Sergio Perez, didn’t get out of Q1.

‘Quali laps are thrilling’

Mercedes’ teenager Kimi Antonelli was one other large Q1 casualty after gravel broken the ground of his automobile.

“It was good, yesterday was fairly powerful so for us to be P3 at this time, I’d take that,” mentioned Verstappen.

“Quali laps are thrilling, good grip round right here and a few quick corners.”

Verstappen is chasing a second win in Australia after his 2023 victory to kickstart his bid for a fifth consecutive world title, a feat solely Michael Schumacher has achieved.

RB’s Yuki Tsunoda will begin a shock fifth alongside the Williams of Alex Albon.

Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Hamilton had been a disappointing seventh and eighth with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz within the different Williams filling out the highest 10.

Final yr in Melbourne it was a Ferrari one-two with Sainz holding off teammate Leclerc for the win, forward of Norris.

“It isn’t fairly the place we wished to be however general I’m happy with the progress we’ve got remodeled the previous two days,” mentioned Hamilton.

“We didn’t count on to be eight or 9 tenths behind pole however given it is a weekend of firsts for me, I didn’t underestimate how steep the educational curve could be.”

Fernando Alonso and his Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll have struggled for tempo all weekend and didn’t get via Q2 alongside Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, RB’s Isack Hadjar and Alpine’s Jack Doohan.

Haas’s Ollie Bearman didn’t set a time in Q1 and was eradicated with teammate Esteban Ocon, Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg, Lawson and Antonelli.

Briton’s Bearman has endured a horror weekend, smashing into the limitations in first apply on Friday and unable to participate within the second session.

He skidded into the gravel Saturday on his first lap in third apply, earlier than reporting his gearbox was “damaged” with out finishing a lap in qualifying.