2025 F1 Australian GP Qualifying: Top 5 Key Takeaways

The 2025 F1 Australian GP Qualifying culminated with Lando Norris on pole position pursued closely by McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri. Quite a few of the pundits came into the first race of the season expecting the Woking-based team to dominate.

Well, a 3 tenths of a second gap to the closest challenger is something that the team would be happy to take home, but it still gives an indication that things were closer than what many would have thought. It took until the dying stages of Q3 for Lando Norris to pull out the lap and secure pole position.

On the second row we have Max Verstappen in P3 with George Russell joining him in P4. In P5 and P6 are the first surprises, as we have Yuki Tsunoda being accompanied by Alex Albon. Lewis Hamilton had a disappointing run to P8 while rookie Kimi Antonelli would be eliminated in Q1.

With that being said, with the grid for the F1 Australian GP now in place, what did we learn from the first qualifying session of the season? Let's take a look.

2025 F1 Australian GP Qualifying: What did we learn?

#1 McLaren confirms favorite status

The three-tenths of a second gap holds by the looks of it for McLaren, even though quite a few of their rivals feel the gap should be around 2 tenths. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have the best car on the grid for now. It's hard to see any argument on that front.

Whether the same pecking order would be repeated in China or other races is something that we'll have to wait and watch. The one thing that is clear is that the team has started the season perfectly.

#2 It's not all doom and gloom at Red Bull and Mercedes

The gap is not ideal, that's for sure. But the level of doom and gloom we've seen from Red Bull, especially, can now take a back seat. The gap that exists for now is the one with which the chasing pack can fight with McLaren.

In fact, arguably one of the biggest takeaways from the F1 Australian GP qualifying is the fact we're not looking at single-team dominance this season. A mistake or two, and you have the chasing pack very close to the top two. The championship is still on, and the way it is being built right now, it's not going towards just one driver or team.

#3 It's the same old story at Ferrari

Ferrari's age-old habit of stepping on its own feet just continues to hurt the team. This car is capable of being one of the top 5 at the F1 Australian GP starting grid, yet it's the execution that still hurts. Sending Leclerc out on used soft tires is not only risky but also dangerous when it comes to what is at stake.

On a track where the drivers potentially should have done better, they're stuck behind a Racing Bull and a Williams.

#4 The new kids need time

Ollie Bearman would need to calm down and keep a tab on his crashes. Kimi Antonelli is showing signs of pace, but the mistakes are what he'll need to curb. Liam Lawson is just in an unforgiving situation that will only get worse as the season progresses. Why? Because that's just what Red Bull is.

Gabriel Bortoleto has already shown how impressive he can be. Jack Doohan was massively compromised by Lewis Hamilton's spin, or he might have been on par with Pierre Gasly. And finally, Isack Hadjar is impressive and is just missing that final step in qualifying.

The new breed has the talent, but it will need some time to establish itself. Having said that, Bortoleto has already given Helmut Marko the answer to an unwarranted criticism.

#5 The midfield landscape

Arguably the best part about the F1 Australian GP qualifying was the realization that the midfield has closed the gap to the top 4. When it comes to overall performance, the top 4 should still be ahead, but if they make any mistake, the midfielders would pounce on it.

Talking about the midfield contenders, Haas is in shambles, and it appears that the team has no clue what happened to the car. Sauber has shown some improvement, but the car is still not even close to being a points contender. Racing Bulls have made stunning progress. Aston Martin has a decent baseline from where Alonso can fight for points. Williams and Alpine have also come out as winners from the F1 Australian GP qualifying.

It won't come as a surprise if a few of these teams secure podiums this season, even though for Haas, the F1 Australian GP has already been a shocker.