Norris ahead of Piastri - front row in Melbourne belongs to McLaren

A close decision was expected in the battle for the best grid position at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, after the drivers of the four top teams McLaren, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes were on an equal footing in the practice sessions.

McLaren then set the tone quite clearly in qualifying. Lando Norris won the team-internal duel with local hero Oscar Piastri by a margin of 84 hundredths. World champion Max Verstappen in third place was already almost four tenths down on last year's runner-up Norris. George Russell in the Mercedes completed the second row of the grid. The Ferraris with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had to make do with grid positions 7 and 8.

Tenth pole for Norris

For Norris, pole position marks a small anniversary, as it is the tenth time he has started a Formula 1 race from the front of the grid. The 25-year-old Englishman made his debut in his debut season in Sochi in 2021, and last season he finished first on the grid eight times.

An impressive run could come to an end for Verstappen on Sunday: With his victory in the Spanish Grand Prix on May 22, 2022, the Dutchman took the lead in the world championship standings and has not relinquished it since. On Sunday, the four-time world champion has been at the top of the world championship for 1029 consecutive days - a record.

Team Sauber's performance was not as bad as had been feared after the winter tests. Gabriel Bortoleto immediately made it into the second part of qualifying on his first outing. The 20-year-old Brazilian will start his Grand Prix debut from 15th position. Bortoleto was a good six hundredths ahead of Nico Hülkenberg in the team's internal duel. For the German veteran, 17th place on the grid was a slight disappointment.

The start of the first of 24 Grands Prix this season will take place at 05:00 Swiss time.