Q1

Just a few minutes into the session, struggling Haas rookie Oliver Bearman, who will be eager to forget the start of this weekend after missing most of FP1 due to a crash, all of FP2 because of the damage, and nearly all of FP3 after spinning, continued to have a rough time.

Lando Norris was the first to attempt a run on soft tyres, but he ran wide through the gravel at Turns 6 and 7, scattering debris across the track.

A brief yellow flag was then waved when Liam Lawson had a moment in Turn 3, taking his RB21 through the gravel trap but fortunately managing to avoid the wall.

Meanwhile, Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli wrestled with his W16, which was sparking heavily. He managed to put in a lap, but it wasn’t enough to advance to Q2, as fellow rookie Gabriel Bortoleto knocked him down to 16th place. Mercedes later reported damaged, that impacted Antonelli's last two laps.

One of the biggest surprises of the session was the early exit of Liam Lawson, who had to abandon his flying lap after running wide onto the grass at the exit of the penultimate corner.

Another driver who failed to progress to the second part of qualifying was Nico Hulkenberg, despite his younger teammate making it through. Esteban Ocon was also left disappointed, finishing in 19th place, sealing a last-row start for Haas as Bearman’s earlier troubles prevented him from setting a time.

Q2

At the beginning fo the second part of qualifying, McLaren's duo clocked in some fast laps and took and early 1-2, with home hero Oscar Piastri being a but faster than his teammate Lando Norris.

Meanwhile, Turn 10 proved tricky for two drivers in quick succession. Fernando Alonso ran wide, kicking up some gravel, while Carlos Sainz hit the curb hard at the same corner.

After Lawson's early exit, Yuki Taunoda, who was his main competitor for the Red Bull seat, wanted to prove his qualities and put his VCARB 02 in sixth place for a bit.

A brief red flag was flown towards the end of Q2 as Lewis Hamilton spun at Turn 11, it didn't cost him much as he was in a safe spot and sustained no damage, however, many drivers had to slow down during their laps because of him.

Isack Hadjar was the closest to making it through but stillmissed out on Q3, finishing in 11th place. Both Aston Martin drivers also failed to advance, with Fernando Alonso in 12th and Lance Stroll 13th place. Jack Doohan, representing Alpine, ended up 14th, while rookie Gabriel Bortoleto was the slowest in Q2, finishing 2.105 seconds off the pace and securing 15th place on the grid for the race.

Q3

McLaren’s Q3 session didn’t begin as smoothly as Q2, with both drivers encountering issues. Piastri ran wide, clipping the grass on the exit of the penultimate corner, while Norris had his lap time deleted for exceeding track limits.

Before the field headed to the pits for fresh tyres ahead of their final runs, Max Verstappen held provisional pole, ahead of George Russell and Charles Leclerc.

However, at the end it was Lando Norris, who stunned the paddock by securing the first pole position of the 2025 F1 season, narrowly edging out his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by less than a tenth of a second.

Max Verstappen and George Russell will start third and fourth, setting the stage for an intense battle at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

The biggest surprises of the session came from Yuki Tsunoda, who delivered a sensational performance to qualify fifth, and Alex Albon, who also impressed with a strong showing.

Surprising results were also seventh and eight places for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, but not in a good way. Pierre Gasly secured ninth for Alpine, delivering a solid result for the team, while Carlos Sainz rounded out the top ten.