Summary

  • Lando Norris takes Australian GP pole

  • Oscar Piastri completes all-McLaren front row

  • Verstappen third, Russell fourth, Tsunoda fifth, Albon sixth

  • Ferraris of Leclerc and Hamilton seventh and eighth

  • Antonelli and Lawson eliminated in Q1

  • Select audio icon above for Radio 5 Live commentary (UK only)

  • Get involved: #bbcf1

  1. Norris takes Melbourne pole with Hamilton eighthpublished at 06:46 Greenwich Mean Time

    Andrew Benson
    BBC F1 correspondent in Melbourne

    Lando NorrisImage source, Getty Images

    Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri made it a McLaren one-two in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix, while Lewis Hamilton took eighth on his Ferrari debut.

    Norris and Piastri made life difficult for themselves with mistakes on their first laps in the final part of qualifying, but both produced strong laps on their final runs.

    Briton Norris beat Australian Piastri by 0.084 seconds as both knocked early pace-setter Max Verstappen's Red Bull down to third in Melbourne.

    Verstappen improved on his final run despite brushing the gravel in the fast chicane at Turns Nine and 10 and ended up 0.385secs off the pace, but managed to stay ahead of Mercedes' George Russell in fourth.

    Read the full report here

  2. Australian GP build-up from 03:00 GMT on Sundaypublished at 06:43 Greenwich Mean Time

    Lando NorrisImage source, Getty Images

    McLaren have locked-out the front row for tomorrow's Australian Grand Prix - and one those drivers is a local boy who grew up only minutes away from Albert Park. Will polesitter Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri be allowed to race each other so early in the season?

    And what can Racing Bulls' Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon in the Williams do in Melbourne? Tsunoda missed out on that Red Bull seat after Sergio Perez's departure but now he's starting two places a behind Max Verstappen and a long way away from rookie driver Liam Lawson.

    Thanks for joining is today, folks. We'll be up and running for race build-up from 03:00 GMT tomorrow, so a little lie-in for us all.

    Enjoy all of your Saturday and see you on Sunday!

  3. 'There is a lot to dissect' - Hamiltonpublished at 06:39 Greenwich Mean Time

    Lewis HamiltonImage source, Getty Images

    Lewis Hamilton finished in eighth in his first qualifying session for Ferrari. He spoke to Sky Sports: "I generally feel good, I had a really good time out there today, everything has been a first this weekend and it's been a lot of work to adapt to this car, it's so much different to what I've experienced in the past.

    "It's been interesting, I didn't know that would be eight, nine-tenths off today but there is a lot to dissect."

    On being only two-tenths off Leclerc: "He's been in this team for seven years and knows this car in and out, not necessarily the new one but the general characteristics of our car and all the tools and everything.

    "I'm still learning but to be that close in my first qualifying session I will definitely take it and we will just get ours heads down and start finding out why we are not on pace with the front runners.

    "Tomorrow is going to be a challenge. I've never driven this car in the rain, I don't even know the rain settings but I've got to go and study that tonight and it will be a learning experience again."

  4. Hamilton 'feels good'published at 06:34 Greenwich Mean Time

    Lewis Hamilton says he "generally feels good" after his qualifying stint in the Ferrari. The team are going to look at where they lost performance to the top five tonight, but he adds he also has to get his around driving a brand new car in wet conditions - don't forget, rain is headed Melbourne’s way for tomorrow's 58-lap race.

    His former team-mate, George Russell, who starts on the second row in P4, is chatting to Sky Sports and says he thought it would be a close fight, then highlights everybody seemed to experience a tricky final few corners on the opening runs in Q3.

  5. 'It was quite tough' - Verstappenpublished at 06:29 Greenwich Mean Time

    Max VerstappenImage source, Getty Images

    Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who will start third on the grid: “It was good, yesterday was quite tough so for us to be in P3 today I will take that. The qualifying laps were really exciting and I think a lot of good grip around here and some fast corners so that’s always very fun in an F1 car.”

    On the tyres overheating: “It was quite tough in qualifying, I don’t know how the others felt but for me it never felt like we nailed that bit, but the gap was quite big to them [McLaren] so it wouldn’t have mattered in terms of position.”

    On Sunday’s race: “For me dry or wet is fine, in the weather there is always some crazy things that can happen and especially around here it can be quite slippery, I think but it's the same for everyone and so we will see what happens tomorrow."

  6. 'Great start to the year' - Piastripublished at 06:26 Greenwich Mean Time

    Oscar PiastriImage source, Getty Images

    Oscar Piastri, who starts on the front row in P2 alongside McLaren team-mate Lando Norris: "Pretty happy. It's obviously a great to start the year on the front row - one position further back than I would've liked. It's a great start to the year and great to have the team on the front row.

    "We'll reset and see what tomorrow has in store. Pretty happy with how qualifying went but not quite enough in Q3, but it's the start of a long season.

    "I lost a little bit of time in sector three compared to the lap before in Q2; I also locked up there and went off in the first round in Q3, so I didn't really want to do that twice.

    "Maybe I left a little bit on the table but it's pretty tricky out there for everybody. Q3 at the start was pretty messy, but I'm just happy to be on the front row and to have a good start."

  7. 'When you put the car together it’s unbelievable' - Norrispublished at 06:23 Greenwich Mean Time

    Lando NorrisImage source, Getty Images

    McLaren’s Lando Norris, who takes the first pole position of the 2025 season: “It’s the perfect way to start the year. A big congrats to the team, everyone has done an amazing job, to continue where we were at the end of last season and to start with a one-two. It’s just qualifying so let’s see what happens tomorrow, it’s going to be a tricky race.”

    On the margins being so fine: “The car is extremely quick and when you put it together it’s unbelievable, it’s just difficult to put it together. There was a lot of fight between me and Oscar [Piastri] today so that was a tough one and especially after my first lap where I went off and got track limits.

    “You are in a tough position and for the second lap you have to take a lot of risk but you also need to get the lap clean and don’t make any mistakes. It’s a difficult mindset to go into the final lap but I managed to pull it off so I’m very happy.”

    On the race: “I’m never going to get ahead of myself, I’m not that kind of guy, I’m confident the car is in a great position but we’ve also never run in the wet.

    "We know how quick Max [Verstappen] and Red Bull is in the rain so let’s wait and see. There are many opportunities for everyone but also a lot of new things that we are going to be learning along the way.”

  8. 'Hamilton has been much stronger on race days'published at 06:20 Greenwich Mean Time

    Marc Priestley
    Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    Lewis Hamilton has considerable strength when it comes to race day. One of his things is the vast experience that he has will play out in a race situation. It's been the story of the past few years for him: much, much stronger on a Sunday. So where he sits on the grid, P8, he will be able to do something; he will be able to potential move forward, particularly if we get the rain that is definitely promised for tomorrow.

  9. Norris on pole in Melbournepublished at 06:16 Greenwich Mean Time

    Lando Norris' pole position time was 1:15.096, with the gap between himself and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri 0.084 seconds.

    Four-time world champion Max Verstappen was down nearly four tenths on Norris' time, while Lewis Hamilton on his Ferrari qualifying debut was off by 0.877 seconds.

  10. And the restpublished at 06:11 Greenwich Mean Time

    11. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)

    12. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

    13. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

    14. Jack Doohan (Alpine)

    15. Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)

    16. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

    17. Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)

    18. Liam Lawson (Red Bull)

    19. Esteban Ocon (Haas)

    20. Oliver Bearman (Haas)

  11. Top 10published at 06:08 Greenwich Mean Time

    1. Lando Norris (McLaren)

    2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

    3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

    4. George Russell (Mercedes)

    5. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)

    6. Alex Albon (Williams)

    7. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

    8. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)

    9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

    10. Carlos Sainz (Williams)

  12. Postpublished at 06:05 Greenwich Mean Time

    Harry Benjamin
    BBC F1 Commentator in Melbourne

    What a lap from Alex Albon in the Williams, he outqualified both Ferraris and his team-mate Carlos Sainz.

  13. chequered flag

    Chequered flagpublished at 06:03 Greenwich Mean Time

    That was a fantastic end of qualifying for McLaren after a shaky opening. Lando Norris will start on pole position for the Australian Grand Prix alongside home driver and team-mate Oscar Piastri.

    And remember, rain is on the way...

  14. Postpublished at 06:02 Greenwich Mean Time

    Max Verstappen can only manage third fastest with George Russell fourth. Alex Albon out-qualifies both the Ferraris, as too does Yuki Tsunoda for Racing Bulls! The Japanese driver will start fifth on the grid, Albon sixth and Leclerc and Hamilton down in seventh and eighth.

  15. Norris on provisional polepublished at 06:00 Greenwich Mean Time

    McLaren are back in the game! Oscar Piastri causes a roar from the crowd as he goes on to provisional pole. But the second papaya car crosses the line and Lando Norris jumps above his Australian team-mate.

  16. Postpublished at 05:59 Greenwich Mean Time

    Marc Priestley
    Former F1 mechanic on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

    To find both of the Williams cars inside the top 10 is perhaps something we wouldn't have said we expected given their form at the end of last year.

    Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon are delivering consistently good lap times.

  17. Top 10 after opening runspublished at 05:58 Greenwich Mean Time

    1. Max Verstappen

    2. George Russell

    3. Charles Leclerc

    4. Oscar Piastri

    5. Alex Albon

    6. Yuki Tsunoda

    7. Lewis Hamilton

    8. Pierre Gasly

    9. Carlos Sainz

    10. Lando Norris

  18. 'Without the damage it would have been a different qualifying' - Antonellipublished at 05:57 Greenwich Mean Time

    Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli didn't get through to Q2 and said to Sky Sports: "The gravel that was on the kerb really broke my car because there was big damage on the floor afterwards.

    "It was kind of hanging, I could feel the car bottoming massively in the straight and it's a shame because we know without the damage it probably would have been a different qualifying."

    Kimi AntonelliImage source, Getty Images
  19. Postpublished at 05:56 Greenwich Mean Time

    So, McLaren's banker laps did not go to plan and now Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are playing catch-up. Last year's polesitter in Melbourne Max Verstappen is top, George Russell is second and Charles Leclerc is third. Lewis Hamilton is down in seventh.

    We go again...

  20. 'Not a good start for Norris'published at 05:55 Greenwich Mean Time

    Andrew Benson
    BBC F1 correspondent in Melbourne

    Two mistakes in two corners there from Lando Norris, that is not a good start to his final qualifying session.