2024 F1 Australian GP Qualifying: Key Takeaways

The 2024 F1 Australian GP qualifying saw Max Verstappen clinch the pole position in a very tense battle with the Ferrari drivers. In a session where the driver didn't seem too comfortable with the car, Verstappen was still able to pull the lap times out when it mattered.

In P2, he will be accompanied by Carlos Sainz who put together a brilliant comeback result, followed by Sergio Perez in P3. Charles Leclerc had a disappointing outing in the P5 and would have hoped for better this weekend.

With the grid set for the 2024 F1 Australian GP (barring the investigation for Gasly and Perez), what did we learn from the qualifying session? Let's take a look.

2024 F1 Australian GP Qualifying: What did we learn?

#1 Max Verstappen is in a league of his own

This pole position goes to Max Verstappen, without a doubt. This was just the driver tightening the screws when it was needed and leveling up to such an extent that the competition could not keep up. This was not a pole position secured on the force of the Red Bull being a dominant car, but Max making the difference on the day.

#2 It's a missed opportunity for Ferrari

What happened to Charles Leclerc during the F1 Australian GP qualifying was strange and there should certainly be a what-if for the team. There was a pole position up for grabs that the team could not achieve, something that must have disappointed them.

However, there are positives as well, considering how brilliantly Carlos Sainz drove in the session. It remains to be seen how he fares in the race, but if you ask Ferrari right now, the team would have preferred a fully fit Charles Leclerc alongside Max Verstappen on the front row.

#3 Lewis Hamilton and Daniel Ricciardo's season goes from bad to worse

Lewis Hamilton has looked dejected this season every time he has come out of the Mercedes. The driver is yet to get accustomed to the car and get the most out of it, and as a result, he currently finds himself being outperformed by George Russell.

The F1 Australian GP is the third race in a row in 2024 where he has been out-qualified by George Russell, which is not a statistic Hamilton would want to dwell on.

Daniel Ricciardo, on the other hand, might be looking at all the doors closing in front of him when it comes to having the opportunity to move to Red Bull and replace Sergio Perez. The driver had an underwhelming qualifying in the F1 Australian GP and would be hoping for a better race.

#4 Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon's performances went under the radar

The unfortunate reality of driving the less flashy cars is that their performances sometimes go unrecognized. What both Yuki Tsunoda and Esteban Ocon did in the F1 Australian GP is commendable and worthy of praise. The two drivers accomplished the objective of qualifying their cars. The RB is not faster than a Mercedes or an Aston Martin, yet Yuki outqualified both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

The Alpine is easily the slowest car on the grid, but Esteban Ocon somehow pulled a lap out of nowhere and secured a Q2 slot. These drives deserve a mention because they were as much a standout as anything else.

#5 Australia has a new hero

The way the F1 Australian GP crowd cheered for Oscar Piastri was wonderful to watch. The driver came to his home race this season in the shadow of the superstar Daniel Ricciardo. But as the race weekend progresses, there are indications that Daniel, who held the Australian baton high for over a decade, is maybe not the driver he once was, as the love and the cheers for Oscar keep growing.

It does appear that Oscar is next in line to take it from Ricciardo and run with it.