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The qualifying session of the 2025 F1 Australian GP came to an end as an all-out McLaren domination saw Lando Norris clinch pole position and his teammate prepared to start the race alongside him in P2.
Surprisingly, Max Verstappen was able to pull his Red Bull in third place despite the struggles assessed from his car earlier. However, his teammate had an issue with his setup that saw him drop to 18th on the grid after a Q1 elimination. Meanwhile, a consistent lap from George Russell gave him fourth position on the grid, and a brilliant lap from Yuki Tsunoda put him in P5, thus marking the top-five starters on the grid for the Australian GP.
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A surprise also came from Williams, as both Alex Albon (P6) and Carlos Sainz (P10) dragged the car to a top-10 start, but disappointment loomed upon the Tifosi as Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified only P7 and P8, bringing a tough end to Ferrari's session. Pierre Gasly placed himself in ninth place.
As the session came to an end, here is the starting grid for the 2025 Australian GP:
Many new faces are joining the grid considering all the rookies that have been promoted, but the most promising ones, including the likes of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman, faced issues during the session that dropped them to the bottom of the grid of the Australian GP.
What can be expected from the 2025 F1 Australian GP?
As assessed after the pre-season testing, McLaren currently looks the strongest on the grid. There was only a 0.08-second gap between both cars on the front row, while Max Verstappen in third place fell short by 0.3 seconds.
Considering Red Bull's performance, they seemed to lose most of the time in Albert Park's third sector. The Dutchman had multiple laps where he could be seen running purple in the first two sectors but his time dropped in the final one.
Ferrari seemed to have a grip within the top five, but with Leclerc abandoning his final lap and Hamilton settling for only P8, it is currently tough to draw any conclusions for the team. They might be able to improve during the race with strategic decisions. It would be a bonus if the Italian outfit lacks tire degradation.
Mercedes looks somewhere in between Ferrari and Red Bull. George Russell managed to pull his car in fourth place, but with Kimi Antonelli starting in 16th place, the team won't be able to capitalize on the most during the race and might lose out on potential points. So is the case with Red Bull.
There could be an interesting battle in the midfield with both VCARB and Williams pulling to a top-10 start purely by skill and pace. Both teams struggled last year, but seem to have a competitive pace.
Moreover, the race could be very close as the top 10 drivers were separated by a 1-second (+0.966 for Sainz in P10) gap. The Australian GP could have much to offer for the teams and an action-packed race for the fans.
