Defending champion Max Verstappen will begin with hsi Red Bull car third on the gride, ahead of George Russell at fourth, whereas Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton ended seventh and eighth respectively.
Briton Norris lapped the lakeside circuit in one minute, 15.096 seconds, 0.084 ahead of Melbourne native Piastri, who will hope to become Australia’s first home winner since the race joined F1’s global calendar in 1985.
“It’s the perfect way to start the year,” said Norris.
“I’m never going to get ahead of myself, I’m not that kind of guy. I’m confident the car is in a great position but we’ve also never run in the wet.”
Rain forecast for Sunday could make the race a lottery but McLaren were delighted with their raw pace in the dry.
Verstappen, bidding for a fifth consecutive drivers’ title, had struggled with handling problems through free practice so he was also glad to be near the front for Sunday.
“Yesterday was quite tough so for us to be in P3 today I will take that,” he said.
“For me dry or wet is fine, in the weather there is always some crazy things that can happen and especially around here it can be quite slippery.”
Racing Bulls were buoyed to have a car fifth on the grid as Yuki Tsunoda drove like a man with a point to prove after missing out on a Red Bull seat to New Zealander Liam Lawson.
Williams also landed a blow in the mid-field battle, with Alex Albon sixth, four places better than teammate Carlos Sainz.
First Published: Mar 15, 2025 1:45 PM IST
