Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer in Melbourne

Max Verstappen said he was “very happy with fourth” place on the grid after a difficult run-up to qualifying, struggling to find a good set-up. And it will be fascinating to see what Red Bull can do in the race. Toto Wolff praised Honda for the progress it had made with the engine.

If Red Bull can get the car into a place they are happy with in the coming races, they could be a real threat. And now? “We’ll find out tomorrow how competitive we are,” Verstappen said after qualifying.

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If only Carlos Sainz and Romain Grosjean were looking at the right camera.

Happens every year.

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Meet the two new British drivers, George Russell and Lando Norris.

Today will be their first formula 1 race.

Here are the thoughts of Sergio Perez (10th) and Robert Kubica (20th), both talking to Sky Sports.

Perez says: "Hopefully I get a good start and try to maintain the position."

Kubica, preparing for his first grand prix since 2010, says: "For sure it will be a difficult Sunday but after a long wait, long years being away from the sport, it is a big day for me."

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Lando Norris?

George Russell?

Lewis Hamilton?

Kimi Raikkonen?

Tell us via the #bbcf1 hashtag.

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Daniel Ricciardo starts 12th in front of his home fans in his first race at Renault. He says: "I'm finally ready to go. The support has been pretty awesome, pretty overwhelming.

"I would have loved to have got it in Q3 but we have a good car and a good package and we will give the fans something to cheer about.

"We will have a good car to overtake. A top 10 [prediction] is too simple, let's try to go deep into the points."

Image source, EPA

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer in Melbourne

Haas had looked good in pre-season and they proved that was no mirage with sixth and seventh places on the grid for Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen.

At this early stage, Haas look a clear fourth-best team, a chunk behind the top three but a fair margin ahead of the pursuing pack.

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Which can be awarded by setting the fastest lap, if a driver is within the top 10.

Image source, F1

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer in Melbourne

Lewis Hamilton begins the fight for a sixth world title from his eighth Australian Grand Prix pole position - equaling the record shared by Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna for poles at a single circuit.

There’s something about Hamilton and Albert Park, but he was made to work harder for it than some in the past. Not by an out-of-sorts Ferrari but by Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas, with new stubbly beard, revived after a winter searching his soul following the disappointments of 2018.

Bottas was half a second clear of Hamilton after the first runs. “Valtteri was doing some incredible laps out there, so I really had to pull something special out at the end to stay ahead of him,” Hamilton said. The world champion has only two wins to show for those eight poles. Can he and Mercedes avoid the problems that have got in his way before and make it three?

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This year we have the youngest driver line-up since 1950, as half of the grid are 25 or younger.

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Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer in Melbourne

One of the most disappointed teams after qualifying were Renault, both of whose drivers failed to make the top 10, when the team had expected Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo to qualify fairly comfortably. Hulkenberg was hampered by an electrical problem that cost him a second run in the second session, and Ricciardo, who has been a little behind the German for most of the weekend, simply didn’t improve.

Sporting director Alan Permane said the result was “really disappointing”. But the Renaults showed strong race pace on Friday afternoon - Hulkenberg was pretty much as quick as Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. So with free tyre choice they are hopeful of a strong result.

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They're one of the fastest cars on Earth, but is a Formula 1 car faster than a bird, a helicopter or a train? Take our quiz and find out.

Find out in the quiz.

Who's winter testing really paid off?

Alfa Romeo look like they've nailed it. But I think it helps when Kimi Raikkonnen joins your squad.

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A few brief words from the world champion. Lewis Hamilton says: "I'm happy to see a lot of people here, I'm excited, I love it here in Australia."

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Renault didn't have a good day out yesterday.

Daniel Ricciardo ended the 2018 season on a high, just missing out on a podium to his team-mate Max Verstappen. The pair fought all the way through Abu Dhabi, but Ricciardo ran out of laps to catch up with the top three.

Yesterday, both Nico Hulkenberg and Ricciardo didn't make Q3 with a disappointing qualifying session, and they line up P11 and P12.

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