McLaren completed with a formidable one-two within the first qualifying occasion of the 2025 on the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday.
Lando Norris will begin Sunday’s opening race of the brand new season on pole with teammate Oscar Piastri ending in second after qualifying.
The McLaren pair dominated the latter levels of qualifying to outdo the early pacesetter, Max Verstappen. The Pink Bull driver ended up ending the closest to the front-row however nonetheless 0.301 seconds behind Piastri.
Mercedes’ George Russell completed fourth and rounds off the second row on the grid.
“It’s the right method to begin the 12 months,” Norris after qualifying, earlier than praising the efforts of all the McLaren crew.
“The automobile is extraordinarily fast and once you put it collectively it’s unbelievable, it’s simply tough to place it collectively.”
Norris remained coy about his probabilities of topping the rostrum in Sunday’s race and famous Pink Bull and Verstappen’s velocity in what may very well be a rain-impacted affair.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton – racing for the primary time since becoming a member of Ferrari – completed eighth.
Hamilton completed 0.877 seconds behind Norris however mentioned he had felt good following Saturday’s qualifying.
“I had a very good time on the market,” Hamilton . “It’s been numerous work to actually adapt to this automobile, it’s a lot completely different right here to what I’ve skilled previously.”
The 40-year-old driver additionally added that there’s “rather a lot to dissect” following qualifying.
Hamilton’s Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc completed one place forward of Hamilton and can begin Sunday’s race in seventh.
The 2025 F1 season begins in Australia for the primary time since 2019 and can conclude in Abu Dhabi in December.
The schedule stays at 24 races – probably the most ever in a single F1 season – with the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix pushed again within the calendar throughout Ramadan.
With modifications aplenty on the grid forward of the season, drivers shall be trying to supplant Verstappen as he goals for a fifth successive title.
CNN’s Ben Morse contributed to reporting.
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