Qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix took place at Albert Park on Saturday afternoon, with the drivers progressing through Q1, Q2 and Q3 to contest their starting positions. The one-lap margins at the season opener were close, with track temperature, tyre preparation and traffic all affecting the final lap.
Hamilton set a 1:22.188 in Q3 to claim the 62nd pole position of his F1 career. Vettel was second with a 1:22.456, 0.268 seconds behind, while Bottas took third, just 0.025 seconds slower than Vettel.
Räikkönen qualified fourth, Verstappen fifth and Grosjean sixth. Massa was seventh, Sainz eighth and Kvyat ninth. Mercedes and Ferrari occupied the top four positions, with two cars each.
Ricciardo hit the barriers on a corner exit in Q3 and failed to set a valid lap time in the final segment, leaving him tenth. The damage ended the home driver’s qualifying session early, and Red Bull then needed to inspect the car and work to complete repairs before the race.
Before qualifying, Sauber confirmed that Giovinazzi would replace the injured Wehrlein. In his first Grand Prix qualifying session, Giovinazzi finished 16th with a 1:26.419. He cleared the 107% threshold and completed his first official F1 qualifying appearance.
Alonso was 13th, Ocon 14th and Ericsson 15th, followed by Giovinazzi in 16th, Magnussen in 17th, Vandoorne in 18th, Stroll in 19th and Palmer in 20th. Neither McLaren nor Renault reached Q3.
Hamilton secured pole through a composed performance in the closing stages of Q3, while a very small margin separated Vettel and Bottas in second and third. The qualifying classification determines Sunday’s starting order, subject to any subsequent penalties or final grid adjustments.
The table below gives the official F1 qualifying classification and the Q1, Q2 and Q3 lap times. A dash marks a segment a driver did not reach. Ricciardo’s Q3 entry follows the official result, and Giovinazzi is listed in his official position as Wehrlein’s replacement.
| Position | Car Number | Driver | Team | Q1 Time | Q2 Time | Q3 Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:24.191 | 1:23.251 | 1:22.188 | 14 |
| 2 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:25.210 | 1:23.401 | 1:22.456 | 17 |
| 3 | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:24.514 | 1:23.215 | 1:22.481 | 13 |
| 4 | 7 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:24.352 | 1:23.376 | 1:23.033 | 19 |
| 5 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:24.482 | 1:24.092 | 1:23.485 | 18 |
| 6 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1:25.419 | 1:24.718 | 1:24.074 | 17 |
| 7 | 19 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 1:25.099 | 1:24.597 | 1:24.443 | 16 |
| 8 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | 1:25.542 | 1:24.997 | 1:24.487 | 16 |
| 9 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1:25.970 | 1:24.864 | 1:24.512 | 16 |
| 10 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:25.383 | 1:23.989 | No time | 10 |
| 11 | 11 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | 1:25.064 | 1:25.081 | — | 13 |
| 12 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 1:24.975 | 1:25.091 | — | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1:25.872 | 1:25.425 | — | 15 |
| 14 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Force India | 1:26.009 | 1:25.568 | — | 16 |
| 15 | 9 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1:26.236 | 1:26.465 | — | 15 |
| 16 | 36 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Sauber | 1:26.419 | — | — | 8 |
| 17 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:26.847 | — | — | 7 |
| 18 | 2 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | 1:26.858 | — | — | 6 |
| 19 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Williams | 1:27.143 | — | — | 7 |
| 20 | 30 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1:28.244 | — | — | 7 |
