Mercedes have made a statement at the Australian Grand Prix qualifying. George Russell claimed pole position, marking his eighth career pole. Kimi Antonelli also secured a front-row start for Mercedes.
Mercedes Set the Pace
The Mercedes cars showed impressive pace, with George Russell finishing almost eight-tenths of a second ahead of Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull. Hadjar finished third, salvaging some honour for Red Bull after Max Verstappen went off track in Q1. Antonelli experienced a busy day, surviving an incident in Free Practice 3 that almost prevented him from participating in qualifying. His mechanics completed the repairs in time for him to qualify.
Ferrari and McLaren in the Mix
Ferrari appear to be the third strongest team, at least in qualifying, with Charles Leclerc finishing fourth. McLaren’s drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, secured fifth and sixth positions respectively. Lewis Hamilton in the other Ferrari, finished seventh.
Ferrari struggled with battery energy management. The first two days have demonstrated that reliability is a crucial factor. The 58 laps of the Grand Prix will test these new cars.
Racing Bulls and Others
Racing Bulls had a good showing, with Liam Lawson and rookie Arvid Lindblad finishing eighth and ninth respectively. Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top ten. Haas drivers Bearman and Ocon were just behind the Audis, ahead of Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
Aston Martin and Williams Face Difficulties
Aston Martin managed to get Fernando Alonso out on track, where he finished 17th, but Lance Stroll did not participate. Williams also experienced technical issues, preventing Carlos Sainz from running. Max Verstappen also did not participate, nor did Lance Stroll and Carlos Sainz.
Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas in their Cadillac cars will not start at the back of the grid, finishing 18th and 19th respectively.
Starting grid for the Australian Grand Prix:
- 1. Russell (Mercedes) 1’18″518
- 2. Antonelli (Mercedes) 1’18″811
- 3. Hadjar (Red Bull) 1’19″303
- 4. Leclerc (Ferrari) 1’19″327
The race starts tomorrow at 5 AM.