Lando Norris clinched pole position for the Formula 1 season opener at the Australian Grand Prix, outpacing McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by a razor-thin 0.084 seconds. The reigning Teams’ Champions secured a front-row lockout at Albert Park, with Norris’ blistering 1m 15.096s lap stealing the show. Piastri briefly electrified the home crowd by topping Max Verstappen’s provisional pole in Q3 by four-tenths, only for Norris to respond with an even faster effort.

Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, settled for third, poised to challenge McLaren in the race, while Mercedes’ George Russell took fourth. Yuki Tsunoda impressed in fifth for Racing Bulls, followed by Williams’ Alex Albon in sixth. Ferrari struggled, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finishing seventh and eighth, respectively, ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly in ninth. Carlos Sainz, in his Williams debut, rounded out the top 10.

Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar narrowly missed Q3 in 11th, while Aston Martin faltered with Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll exiting in 12th and 13th. Jack Doohan’s solid 14th for Alpine was marred by a late yellow flag after Hamilton’s Q2 spin, and F2 champ Gabriel Bortoleto debuted for Kick Sauber in 15th.

Haas’ Ollie Bearman couldn’t post a lap due to gearbox woes, joining a tough Q1 for rookies Kimi Antonelli (16th, Mercedes) and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson (18th). Veterans Nico Hulkenberg (17th, Kick Sauber) and Esteban Ocon (19th, Haas) also bowed out early, setting the stage for a gripping race.