Mercedes
Mercedes arrived as favourites and showed it: George Russell claimed pole by a comfortable margin, nearly eight-tenths clear of the next non-Mercedes, while team-mate Kimi Antonelli overcame a dramatic weekend to lock out the front row. Antonelli crashed in FP3, the team rebuilt his car in time for Q1 (a recovery aided by an early red flag), he scraped through on one flying lap, then caused a Q3 red flag when a cooling fan fell off—yet still delivered a final lap to put the pair P1 and P2.
George Russell, 1st, 1:18.518
Russell praised the team’s work and the car’s performance in cooler conditions, while noting that Saturday’s advantage may not reflect the season-long picture. He stressed the need to improve in several areas to mount a championship bid and said the team must convert P1/P2 into a strong result in tomorrow’s race.
Kimi Antonelli, 2nd, 1:18.811
Antonelli thanked the mechanics for repairing his car after the FP3 crash, admitted he’d made things difficult, and said he’s excited for the race despite uncertainties with the new cars and the long Grand Prix.
Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
Wolff applauded the team’s recovery work and both drivers’ performances, especially George’s dominant lap and Kimi’s composure under pressure. He cautioned that qualifying is just one session and that rivals will likely show more over the season.
Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director
Shovlin congratulated the mechanics who rebuilt Kimi’s car and praised George’s meticulous preparation. He reiterated that while today was a strong start, it’s only the first qualifying of a new season and there’s much more to learn.
Red Bull
A turbulent session for Red Bull: Max Verstappen crashed out in Q1 with a sudden rear-axle lock under braking and set no time, though he was uninjured and awaiting data analysis. Team-mate Isack Hadjar stepped up, making Q3 and producing his best-ever qualifying to split the Ferraris and McLarens in P3.
Max Verstappen, 20th, No time set in Q1
Verstappen described an unusual sudden loss of rear grip under braking, confirmed he’s fine after scans, and said he’ll start from the back and try to move forward.
Isack Hadjar, 3rd, 1:19.303
Hadjar said he was delighted with P3, credited steady improvement across runs, and felt both chassis and power unit were strong. He expects to defend positions in the race.
Laurent Mekies, Team Principal
Mekies hailed Hadjar’s performance and the collective work on the power unit and chassis. He stressed the need to investigate Verstappen’s strange crash while expressing pride in a strong start and focus on rapid learning.
Ferrari
Ferrari looked competitive on mediums in Q1 and were in the fight with Mercedes, but on softs in Q2 they couldn’t match the W17. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton (driving for Mercedes, referenced here due to earlier linking error in original) were unable to close the gap to Mercedes; Ferrari still hope a good race start can yield opportunities.
Charles Leclerc, 4th, 1:19.327
Leclerc reported an energy deployment issue in Q2 that was fixed and said the weekend is a learning process in these new cars, with development set to decide the championship.
Lewis Hamilton, 7th, 1:19.478
Hamilton said the car felt solid but execution in qualifying was lacking; the team must understand the issues and stay composed for the race.
Fred Vasseur, Team Principal
Vasseur called qualifying chaotic and noted a significant gap to Mercedes. He underlined that teams haven’t yet shown all they have and that Ferrari will learn from mistakes to focus on the race.
McLaren
McLaren were in the mix in practice, with Oscar Piastri leading the way. In qualifying, Norris ran over a fan from Antonelli’s car, provoking a red flag and possibly costing them rhythm; both McLarens ended Q3 on row three.
Lando Norris, 6th, 1:19.475
Norris said P6 was reasonable given issues and debris damage that likely cost them time; he felt P3 had been possible and that they’ll aim to progress in the race.
Oscar Piastri, 5th, 1:19.380
Piastri described a smooth session but felt a bit of performance was missing. He saw P5 as a base to improve and hoped to fight for the podium.
Andrea Stella, Team Principal
Stella noted Lando may have lost front-wing performance after debris, and highlighted the need for more power from the power unit. He praised the team’s execution and outlined plans to work with HPP to extract more performance.
Racing Bulls
Racing Bulls were the midfield’s standout, the only midfield team with both cars in Q3. Liam Lawson produced the faster single Q3 lap to outqualify Arvid Lindblad, who still impressed with P9 on debut after a minor control issue cost him in the shootout.
Arvid Lindblad, 9th, 1:21.247
Lindblad said the team had been competitive all weekend, praised the collective effort, and was excited for the race.
Liam Lawson, 8th, 1:19.994
Lawson admitted a shaky start to qualifying but felt the car came together; he saved a new tyre set for the race and was pleased with the result.
Tim Goss, Chief Technical Officer
Goss celebrated two cars in Q3 and highlighted strong preparation, aerodynamic upgrades, and a clear setup sweet spot. He noted Q3 tyre strategy choices and that there’s more to do before race day.
Audi
Audi impressed by getting both cars into contention for Q3. Gabriel Bortoleto beat team-mate Jonathan but then slowed on his in-lap and could not take his Q3 start, leaving Audi with P10 and P11 — still a strong debut showing.
Nico Hülkenberg, 11th, 1:20.303
Hülkenberg said qualifying was busy but ultimately solid; one clean Q2 lap secured P11 and the team will build from encouraging long-run data.
Gabriel Bortoleto, 10th, No time set in Q3
Bortoleto called it a positive day and was frustrated not to run in Q3 due to a gearbox/gear-loss issue on the in-lap. He praised the package and looked forward to a strong race.
Jonathan Wheatley, Team Principal
Wheatley described the session as encouraging for the Audi Revolut F1 Team, reflecting winter efforts and a competitive car, while noting the technical issues that will be analysed.
Haas
Haas hovered just outside Q3, with Oliver Bearman around a tenth shy of the top ten. The team showed reliability and a solid baseline that could be valuable in the race.
Esteban Ocon, 13th, 1:20.491
Ocon lamented instability and a potential rear-downforce loss that cost time; he felt Q3 was within reach and expects to regroup.
Oliver Bearman, 12th, 1:20.311
Bearman was disappointed to miss Q3 by fine margins but proud of the team’s progress and confident in the baseline for further development.
Ayao Komatsu, Team Principal
Komatsu called qualifying solid, praised operational performance, and said the team will continue improving tyre preparation and energy management.
Alpine
Alpine reached Q2 with both cars but couldn’t progress further. Pierre Gasly was the quicker of the pair and was within a few tenths of Q3—an encouraging sign from a team that had struggles last season.
Pierre Gasly, 14th, 1:20.501
Gasly said the weekend has been challenging despite decent test pace; tyre prep and energy deployment still need refining, and he expects the race to offer opportunities.
Franco Colapinto, 16th, 1:21.270
Colapinto acknowledged a tough day and underperformance relative to tests. He flagged areas to prioritise and remained optimistic about fighting in the race.
Steve Nielsen, Managing Director
Nielsen asked for patience: it’s the first race under new regs, there’s learning to do, and Alpine will implement ideas to improve.
Williams
Williams suffered reliability troubles: Carlos Sainz parked with power loss in FP3 and missed qualifying entirely; Alex Albon made Q2 but was eliminated after a messy final run.
Alex Albon, 15th, 1:20.941
Albon said the team maximised what they could despite limited running and reliability problems, and expects tomorrow’s chaotic race start to offer chances.
Carlos Sainz, 21st, No time set in Q1
Sainz described a frustrating weekend of reliability issues after trouble-free testing, hoping to at least race and learn tomorrow.
James Vowles, Team Principal
Vowles admitted the team is on the back foot but has plans to improve rapidly. He congratulated Mercedes on P1/P2 as a benchmark.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin faced power-unit problems for Lance Stroll that ruled him out of FP3 and qualifying; Fernando Alonso ran in FP3 and narrowly missed Q2 in qualifying.
Fernando Alonso, 17th, 1:21.969
Alonso said more laps unlocked lap time and that the car has potential, but battery limitations will restrict aggressive running tomorrow.
Lance Stroll, 22nd, No time set in Q1
Stroll called the weekend tough with too little time for rebuilds, while the team vowed to keep pushing.
Adrian Newey, Team Principal
Newey noted valuable FP3 data from Alonso, acknowledged Lance’s ICE issue, and said the AMR26 appears to have pace that needs more mileage to exploit.
Cadillac
Cadillac completed their first qualifying with both cars setting times and no major reliability drama, finishing where expected but within a few seconds of the pack—respectable for a debut.
Valtteri Bottas, 19th, 1:23.244
Bottas celebrated the team’s first qualifying and noted work to improve performance; the focus is on strategy and finishing both cars.
Sergio Pérez, 18th, 1:22.605
Pérez called qualifying a special day for the new team and said he was happy with the balance and lap, aiming to push in the race.
Graeme Lowdon, Team Principal
Lowdon praised the team’s execution and discipline for a first qualifying, admitted red flags disrupted plans, and saw a solid base for racing tomorrow.
Pirelli
Dario Marrafuschi, Pirelli Motorsport Director
Pirelli suggested all three compounds could play strategic roles in the race. A one-stop Medium–Hard is fastest on paper (pit between laps ~20–26), but soft starts with a switch to mediums later are possible if managed. Melbourne’s typical short pit-lane time (≈21s) and high safety-car likelihood (historically ~75% race neutralisation chance here) mean two-stop strategies are viable too (Medium–Hard–Medium or Soft–Medium–Soft). Teams will weigh tyre wear, energy management and potential neutralisations when planning tomorrow’s approaches.