Australia - Qualifying

Formula 1 is back and just as exciting as ever. This year's first qualifying session was to happen under the sunny sky of Melbourne. But with rain looming on the horizon, what setups had the teams chosen to use? How will all the drivers fare in their new teams or with their new teammates? And, most importantly, who will take the first pole of the season? 

The Haas cars were the first to appear on the circuit but the day did not start well for them, as Bearman quickly reported a problem with his gearbox and peeled back into the pits. He did not emerge again and therefore ended the session without a lap on the board. The so-called favourites seemed to be in good form, with both McLarens going straight to the top, immediately followed by Leclerc and Verstappen. Hamilton and Lawson struggled a bit more to make good time. While Hamilton managed to move away from the danger zone without much stress, the same couldn't be said about Lawson. The young driver fell all the way to 18th and needed to find an improvement on his last lap. Unfortunately for all Red Bull fans, he had some issues on turn 9 and later on ended up going off onto the grass by the last turn, cementing his spot in the elimination zone. Another rookie facing issues was Antonelli. He found himself sitting at P15 and had hoped to just about hold onto the place. But before the session was over, he was knocked down by Bortoleto. When the clock struck zero and the last flyers finished, it was Antonelli, Hulkenberg, Lawson, Ocon, and Bearman who ended their day early

Verstappen was the driver who started off Q2. The top of the leaderboards quickly filled up with all the names we would expect to see there. Once again, it was the two McLarens who sat on top, with the Ferraris, Russell, and Verstappen not far behind. But the session wasn't going too great for everyone. Doohan pushed his Alpine a bit too far and had his first time deleted for exceeding track limits. He had hoped to make up for it in his second attempt but his lap was interrupted by Hamilton. The Ferrari driver spun on track, and even though no damage was done to his car, he did cause a yellow flag to wave over the track, forcing some drivers, Doohan included, to slow down and forfeit their laps. The Australian driver didn't make it to Q3, and neither did Hadjar, Alonso, Stroll, and Bortoleto. 

The McLarens began Q3 with some issues, as Norris' first lap was deleted for exceeding track limits. Piastri managed to climb to the top, but didn't stay there for long, as his efforts were quickly beaten by Leclerc, Russell, and Verstappen. The fight for pole only got more tense as the drivers pushed their new cars to their limits, trying to make up even a fraction of a second. When time came for the second round of flying laps, the McLarens were, once again, first to take to the track. They both produced incredibly quick times but, even though the crowed hoped to see their home favourite get his first ever pole, it was Norris who came out on top. No other drivers were able to catch up to the two. Verstappen and Russell finished close behind. The Ferraris fell to 7th and 8th, overtaken by both Tsunoda and Albon. Gasly and Sainz closed out the top 10.

While the qualifying positions certainly tell us something about the general pecking order, they aren't an end-all be-all to who will take the checkered flag first at tomorrow's race. There is still a lot to look out for, especially with rain and thunderstorms forecasted for the first F1-filled Sunday of the year. 

Order of the Grid:

1. Lando Norris

2. Oscar Piastri

3. Max Verstappen

4. George Russell

5. Yuki Tsunoda

6. Alex Albon

7. Charles Leclerc

8. Lewis Hamilton

9. Pierre Gasly

10. Carlos Sainz

11. Isack Hadjar

12. Fernando Alonso

13. Lance Stroll

14. Jack Doohan

15.  Gabriel Bortoleto

16. Kimi Antonelli

17. Nico Hulkenberg

18. Liam Lawson

19. Esteban Ocon

20. Oliver Bearman