Lewis Hamilton Eighth in rating in Ferrari’s debut while Norris takes pole for F1

McLaren locked the first row in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, after dominating their rivals, including Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari, whose drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, will begin from the seventh and eighth in the grid.

Lando Norris established a final classification lap to ensure the pole position, the first in the Albert de Melbourne Park and the tenth of Milestone in general, in front of his teammate Oscar Piastri, and a multitude of Saturday of Saturday of 136,347 in Albert Park.

“It’s not a bad way to start the year, thank you all,” Norris said on his team’s radio shortly after the classification session ended before the Opening race on Sunday of the Formula 1 season.

Hamilton was circumspect about his qualification end.

“It is not where we wanted to be, but in general I am satisfied with the progress we have achieved in the last two days,” said Hamilton.

“We did not expect to be eight or nine tenths (one second) behind Pole, but since this is a weekend of first for me, I did not underestimate how steep it would be the learning curve.”

Norris entered the Q3 on the rear foot after his first round was eliminated by a runway limit infraction in Vuelta Cuatro, where he put the four wheels on the track. But he delivered when he mattered with his only career. “It’s difficult, because you want to run many risks, especially on this track,” Norris said.

“It is a clue where you must compromise and you should know that you know what your goal is and once you have given yourself, you are waiting for the best in many cases.” I obviously take too many of my first (Q3) return and get track limits, so I was in a difficult position to know how much risk I wanted to run, but I put it well. “

And the British trusts that he can maintain that shape in the race. “I think we were decent in Bahrain, and I think we are going to be quite good here,” Norris said.

“We were quite good here last year and that was with a much worse car, so we clearly entered with a goal, which is to have two cars at the top.”

Piastri was not unhappy to be second, since Maximixed his lap, which allowed McLare to block the first row for the second consecutive race, after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix of the 2024 season. But the Australian has not stopped becoming the first Australian to win his F1 Grand Prix at home. “It would be really special to be able to achieve that,” Piastri said.

“But, I am not also fixing my eyes so that firmly, we have a lot of work to do (first) to try to maximize the race tomorrow, we (also) have to see what the weather does first.” The rain of a day is in the forecast on Sunday.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was classified in third place, shrinking with the pre -season rhythm concerns for the team about its RB21 car.

But he minimized his chances of challenging the McLarens in the race of 58 laps on a day when his new teammate Liam Lawson qualified well in 18º, after a return of the first quarter that questioned the decision of the team to replace Sergio Pérez Mexicano by 2025.

“Yes, I mean, I don’t expect how any kind of miracles about it,” said the Dutchman. “I think it’s fine, but it is not at the same level (as McLaren). But, I will do everything possible, (y) I will see what happens. “

Mercedes’s hopes of a return to the form were dressed with George Russell classifying the room, despite the strong rhythm throughout the practice. Her 18 -year -old rookie, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who skipped F3 as part of her fast track through the Junior categories, was an exit of the first quarter in her F1 debut and will begin 16.

Ferrari had expectations that he could challenge the title, with Leclerc from the seventh and eighth Hamilton, for a disappointing closure of the fourth row that means that he will fight for points, not podes, if the rain does not materialize.

Racing Bulls, Red Bull’s second F1 team, continued impressing in the qualification, with Yuki Tsunoda ensuring fifth place in the network, which is its highest placement from Brazil 2024. Isack Hadjar, his French rookie teammate, performed a solid performance to start 11.

Williams also showed that his preseason rhythm was real, after the British team took its two pilots to the top 10 with Alex Albon Sixth and the Australian champion Defensor Carlos Sainz Ninth.

Pierre Gasly de Alpine closed the Top 10 with its A525 resurgent car, three places ahead of its Australian teammate Jack Doohan.