George Russell delivered on his status as the world championship favourite by taking a crushing pole position for Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
A composed Russell blew away his rivals at Melbourne’s Albert Park to finish 0.293 seconds clear of team-mate Kimi Antonelli as Mercedes locked out the front row.
Isack Hadjar qualified third on his Red Bull debut, but he was almost eighth tenths slower than Russell as Mercedes’ impressive pace in the sport’s new era was laid bare for the first time.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took fourth one place ahead of McLaren driver Oscar Piastri.
Lando Norris will open his championship defence from sixth. Lewis Hamilton is seventh on the grid, after he finished a tenth and a half slower than Leclerc in the other Ferrari, while Max Verstappen will prop up the grid after he sensationally crashing out.
Antonelli, who crashed out of final practice earlier on Saturday, faces a stewards’ investigation for leaving the pits in an “unsafe condition” after two cooling fans were left on the Italian’s right-hand sidepod as he emerged in Q3.
One ended up in the gravel at the opening corner and the other on the straight which Norris drove over and it smashed into hundreds of pieces. McLaren had to patch up Norris’ front wing with duct tape for the remainder of the session.
Mercedes had been expected to lead the way following a major overhaul of the sport’s regulations, but as they unleashed their full speed for the first time, their advantage will perhaps be even greater than they might have hoped.
Norris, whose McLaren team have won the constructors’ championship for the past two years, was the best part of a second behind his compatriot.
No wonder Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was grinning from ear-to-ear at the conclusion of the session.
Earlier, Verstappen crashed out on his very first qualifying lap.
The four-time world champion lost control of his Red Bull under braking at the opening corner before skipping across the gravel and thudding the barrier.
“The car just f—ing locked on the rear axles,” said Verstappen over the radio. “Fantastic.”
Verstappen’s crash will put him at the back of the grid. Verstappen has been critical of the new rules and his shock early exit from qualifying is unlikely to do little to change his verdict.
The 10-minute red-flag period also afforded Mercedes crucial minutes to repair Antonelli’s car after his heavy crash.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso will start 17th, lapping quicker than only the Cadillac drivers’ Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas, as team-mate Lance Stroll failed to even post a time.
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