Australia – Qualifications: Supersonic Hamilton!

The big surprise at the start of this qualifying session came from the sky: the rain spared the participants of the Australian round! However, showers still washed the track between the end of the third practice session, dominated by Vettel, and the start of Q1. An important fact: the temperature dropped a few degrees compared to Friday, 33 degrees in the air for a modest 25 degrees on the track.

Ocon narrowly escapes elimination, not Gasly

It was on a “green” track that Nico Hülkenberg set the first time of the session, by order of appearance. A few minutes later, Kimi Räikkönen achieved the best time of the first lap, in 1:23.096, on ultra-soft tires. Three different cars occupied the top 3, with Räikkönen ahead of Hamilton and Ricciardo. But the Mercedes driver didn’t stop there and took the lead after his third lap: 1:22.824.

Far from these considerations, the first survival was being organized to move into Q2. Apart from the Friday match, Marcus Ericsson briefly reignited Sauber’s enthusiasm by positioning himself in the midfield. Ultimately insufficient… Threatened two minutes before the end, Esteban Ocon clocked a lap time of 1:24.503. The Norman finished this Q1 in 15th place, just ahead of the five eliminated drivers. The third Frenchman competing this season, Pierre Gasly, did not improve on his last lap and ended with the 20th fastest time, the last in these qualifications. Joining him in this red zone were the two rookies, Charles Leclerc and Sergey Sirotkin, leaving his teammate Lance Stroll to compete in Q2.

Pilots eliminated in Q1: Hartley, Ericsson, Leclerc, Sirotkin, Gasly

That’s the 🏁for #Q1 @Ericsson_Marcus P17, @Charles_Leclerc P18 after a very tight Qualifying. #Q2 was close with only 5/100 of a second! #AusGP #F1

— Sauber F1 Team (@SauberF1Team) March 24, 2018

Vettel comes out of the woods, both McLarens at the door

Already leading after Q1, Lewis Hamilton didn’t slow down at the start of Q2. The Briton clocked a time of 1:22.051 on his first attempt. Four-tenths behind in second place, Kimi Räikkönen remained ahead of Sebastian Vettel in third and Valtteri Bottas. A little further down the timesheet, the two Red Bulls of Verstappen and Ricciardo still secured the next two spots. Very interesting information here: both were on super-soft tires.

As expected, a battle was shaping up between the Haas, Renault, and McLaren drivers for the spots in Q3. Six drivers in total for four places. Out of the race, Stroll and the two Force Indias, who couldn’t even hope to compete for the top 10. The disappointment was ultimately for the Woking team, which lost both of its representatives: for Alonso, the mistake happened in the first sector of his last flying lap. Seventh qualifier, Romain Grosjean was indeed the best Frenchman of the day. But the main highlight at the end of this Q2 was the time recorded by Vettel, on the buzzer: 1:21.944! The German champion became the first driver in history to go below 1:22 at Albert Park.

Drivers eliminated in Q2: Alonso, Vandoorne, Pérez, Stroll, Ocon

Contrasting trajectories for the Mercedes clan

The time for settling scores had arrived in Melbourne, still on a dry track. Under pressure, the first to be eliminated was Valtteri Bottas. Just after his teammate’s lap, the Finn hit the grass just after the inside curb in turn 2. Immediate consequence: sliding, the former Williams driver hit the wall straight ahead, first the rear and then the side. The driver exited his car on his own, in pieces. The session was interrupted for a few minutes…

🚩RED FLAG 🚩 Q3

Heavy impact for Bottas at Turn 2#Quali #AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/yKgWbIfQW9

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 24, 2018

The horses were unleashed, with a three-way race for pole position! On the first lap after the interruption, Lewis Hamilton claimed the best time, clocking in at 1:22.051. Despite being ahead in the first two sectors, Vettel slightly faltered in the third sector. Verstappen, on the other hand, ended up in third position, but only +0.061 seconds off! Maximum tension, in short, as the cars returned to the garages.

With the exception of the first attempt, the remaining nine drivers returned to the track. With an astonishing image: Romain Grosjean overtaking a Renault in the pit lane itself, even before rejoining the track.

The final explanation took place: it must be acknowledged that Lewis Hamilton had been hiding his game. Four-tenths ahead in the first sector, six in the second, eight at the finish: a phenomenal lap time from the Englishman at 1:21.164. The conclusion is clear: the Mercedes engine’s “party mode” works wonderfully. At the finish, #44 clinches the first pole of the year with six-tenths ahead of… Kimi Räikkönen, who narrowly snatches second place from Sebastian Vettel.

Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo follow in fourth and fifth places, pushed into the background. The pleasant surprise among the other drivers is Kevin Magnussen, ahead of Romain Grosjean by a tenth. Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz are beaten and settle for the last places in the top 10. After his penalty is applied, Daniel Ricciardo will start eighth on Sunday morning in Melbourne, behind the two Haas and Hülkenberg.

In terms of statistics, Lewis Hamilton secures the 73rd pole position of his career. The category record continues its path.

Just stunning, @LewisHamilton 👏#Quali #AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/9YhlVZ9BpL

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 24, 2018

Here is the complete ranking, updated after the application of Daniel Ricciardo’s three-place penalty: