Mercedes
Mercedes arrived as favourites and delivered a dominant qualifying, locking out the front row. George Russell took pole comfortably and team-mate Kimi Antonelli recovered from a chaotic weekend — including an FP3 crash, a rebuild, a one-lap escape in Q1 and a Q3 red flag after a cooling fan detached — to secure P2.
George Russell, 1st, 1:18.518 — Praised the team and the car in cooler conditions, warned that one strong qualifying doesn’t define the season and urged improvements if Mercedes want to mount a championship challenge. Emphasised the need to turn P1/P2 into a solid race result.
Kimi Antonelli, 2nd, 1:18.811 — Thanked mechanics for the rapid rebuild, admitted he’d complicated his weekend but remained upbeat and excited for the race despite uncertainties with the new cars and the long Grand Prix.
Toto Wolff — Applauded the recovery effort and both drivers’ performances, but cautioned qualifying is only one session and rivals may show more over the season.
Andrew Shovlin — Commended the mechanics and drivers’ preparation while noting there’s still plenty to learn in the opening weekend.
Red Bull
A turbulent day for Red Bull: Max Verstappen suffered an unexplained sudden rear-axle lock under braking and crashed out in Q1 with no time set, while team-mate Isack Hadjar stepped up to make Q3 and produced a career-best P3.
Max Verstappen, 20th, No time set in Q1 — Reported a sudden loss of rear grip, is uninjured after medical checks and will start from the back aiming to move forward in the race.
Isack Hadjar, 3rd, 1:19.303 — Delighted with P3, credited steady improvement through the runs and felt both chassis and power unit are strong. Plans to defend positions in the race.
Laurent Mekies — Praised Hadjar’s performance and the team’s joint chassis/power-unit work, while stressing the need to investigate Verstappen’s unusual crash.
Ferrari
Ferrari showed promise on mediums in Q1 but couldn’t match Mercedes on softs in Q2/Q3. They remain hopeful a strong race start will create opportunities.
Charles Leclerc, 4th, 1:19.327 — Reported an energy deployment glitch in Q2 that was fixed; called the weekend a learning process under the new regs and said development will shape the championship.
Lewis Hamilton, 7th, 1:19.478 — Said the car felt solid but execution in qualifying lacked; urged the team to diagnose issues and stay composed for the race.
Fred Vasseur — Described qualifying as chaotic, noted a clear gap to Mercedes and stressed that teams have yet to reveal everything; Ferrari will learn and focus on race execution.
McLaren
McLaren were competitive in practice, but qualifying momentum was affected by debris (a fan from Antonelli’s car) that led to a red flag. Both drivers ended Q3 on row three.
Oscar Piastri, 5th, 1:19.380 — Called the session smooth but felt a little performance was missing; sees P5 as a platform to push for the podium in the race.
Lando Norris, 6th, 1:19.475 — Said P6 was reasonable after debris damage that likely cost lap time; believed P3 had been possible and will try to progress during the race.
Andrea Stella — Suggested Norris may have lost front-wing performance after debris contact and highlighted the need for more power from the power unit while praising the team’s execution.
Racing Bulls
The midfield standout: Racing Bulls were the only midfield team with both cars in Q3. Liam Lawson edged team-mate Arvid Lindblad, who impressed on debut despite a minor control issue in the shootout.
Liam Lawson, 8th, 1:19.994 — Admitted a shaky start but said the car came together; saved a tyre set for the race and was pleased with the result.
Arvid Lindblad, 9th, 1:21.247 — Praised the team’s work, called the weekend competitive and expressed excitement for Sunday.
Tim Goss — Celebrated two cars in Q3, pointing to aero upgrades and a clear setup sweet spot while noting tyre strategy choices for Q3.
Audi
Audi impressed by getting both cars into the mix. Gabriel Bortoleto set a Q3 lap but slowed on the in-lap with a gearbox/gear-loss issue and couldn’t take his Q3 start; Audi still claimed P10 and P11.
Gabriel Bortoleto, 10th, No time set in Q3 — Frustrated not to complete his Q3 run but positive about the package and looking forward to race day.
Nico Hülkenberg, 11th, 1:20.303 — Called qualifying busy but solid, happy to secure Q2 and encouraged by long-run data.
Jonathan Wheatley — Found the session encouraging for Audi’s debut competitiveness while flagging technical issues to be analysed.
Haas
Haas were close to Q3, with Oliver Bearman narrowly missing out. The team showed reliability and a solid baseline for race work and development.
Oliver Bearman, 12th, 1:20.311 — Disappointed to miss Q3 on fine margins but proud of the team’s progress and confident in the baseline.
Esteban Ocon, 13th, 1:20.491 — Reported instability and a suspected rear-downforce loss that cost time; felt Q3 was within reach and expects to regroup for the race.
Ayao Komatsu — Called qualifying solid and praised operations, with plans to improve tyre preparation and energy management.
Alpine
Both Alpines reached Q2 but couldn’t advance. Pierre Gasly showed encouraging pace, and Franco Colapinto acknowledged areas to address after a tougher day than testing suggested.
Pierre Gasly, 14th, 1:20.501 — Said tyre prep and energy deployment still need work; expects the race to provide chances.
Franco Colapinto, 16th, 1:21.270 — Flagged underperformance versus tests but remained optimistic about fighting in the race.
Steve Nielsen — Asked for patience under the new regs and promised targeted improvements.
Williams
Williams suffered reliability setbacks: Carlos Sainz stopped with power loss in FP3 and missed qualifying; Alex Albon reached Q2 but stumbled in his final run.
Alex Albon, 15th, 1:20.941 — Felt the team maximised limited running and believes a chaotic race start could present opportunities.
Carlos Sainz, 21st, No time set in Q1 — Frustrated by reliability after trouble-free testing, hoping to at least race and learn on Sunday.
James Vowles — Admitted the team is behind but has a rapid-improvement plan and acknowledged Mercedes as the benchmark.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin were hampered by power-unit problems that sidelined Lance Stroll and limited Fernando Alonso’s running; Alonso narrowly missed Q2.
Fernando Alonso, 17th, 1:21.969 — Said extra laps unlocked time and that the car has potential, though battery constraints will limit aggressive running in the race.
Lance Stroll, 22nd, No time set in Q1 — Called the weekend tough with limited time for repairs.
Adrian Newey — Noted useful FP3 data and said the AMR26 shows pace that needs more mileage to exploit.
Cadillac
Cadillac completed its first qualifying session with both cars setting times and no major reliability dramas, a respectable debut within a few seconds of the pack.
Sergio Pérez, 18th, 1:22.605 — Celebrated the milestone and was pleased with balance and the lap, aiming to push in the race.
Valtteri Bottas, 19th, 1:23.244 — Praised the team for a clean first qualifying and stressed focus on strategy and finishing both cars.
Graeme Lowdon — Applauded the team’s execution on a debut day and saw a solid base for racing tomorrow.
Pirelli — Tyre outlook
Dario Marrafuschi, Pirelli Motorsport Director, suggested all three compounds could influence strategy. On paper a one-stop Medium–Hard (pit around laps 20–26) is fastest, but starting on softs then switching to mediums later can work if tyre wear and energy are managed. Melbourne’s short pit-lane time (~21s) and historically high safety-car likelihood mean two-stoppers (Medium–Hard–Medium or Soft–Medium–Soft) are viable options. Teams will weigh tyre wear, energy deployment and potential neutralisations when finalising race strategies.