Leclerc on Australian F1 GP pole with Verstappen second and Hamilton fifth

. Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Pérez was in third, with McLaren’s Lando Noris taking an excellent fourth place. Mercedes continued to struggle with Lewis Hamilton in fifth and George Russell in sixth at a circuit where they have claimed pole for the last six consecutive meetings. It was a result however they would take having looked off the pace all weekend.

The session resumed after 10 minutes with the track cooling as the shadows lengthened in Melbourne. Pérez pushed on his final hot lap and came so close, within one thousandth of Leclerc’s time, while Verstappen put together a clean lap to edge into the top spot. Yet Leclerc had even more, his final lap was immense, clocking 1m 17.868sec to leave his rivals reeling, a full three-10ths up on Verstappen.

It is Leclerc’s 11th pole position, his first in Australia and Ferrari’s second this season after they took the top spot in Bahrain and went on to convert it to a one-two finish.Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhones or the Google Play store on Android phones by searching for 'The Guardian'.In the Guardian app, tap the yellow button at the bottom right, then go to Settings , then Notifications.

Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Charles Leclerc on top after massive crashes stop qualifyingFerrari driver Charles Leclerc has taken his second pole position in three races, with a blistering lap in Melbourne, setting him up for tomorrow's F1 Australian Grand Prix. There have never been this amount of crashes in f1. I blame mini bloodclots and extreme gforce equals blackouts
Source: abcnews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »

Lewis Hamilton 13th as car struggles continue at F1 Australian GP practiceThe former world champion came in 13th in his Mercedes, following his disappointing finish in Saudi Arabia Mercedes were not prepared for the new regulations and have been caught out massively
Source: GuardianAus - 🏆 1. / 98 Read more »

Ferrari, Red Bull show pace in early F1 practice, encouraging signs for RicciardoFerrari fans were in red heaven at Albert Park when drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc showed the pace in the first practice session for the Australian Grand Prix.
Source: smh - 🏆 6. / 80 Read more »

F1 is back: Everything you need to know about the Australian Grand PrixThe Albert Park circuit has been upgraded since the last grand prix with an emphasis on designing a track that will encourage overtaking.
Source: abcnews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »

Sebastian Vettel forced to break out fire extinguisher on track during Australian GP practiceSebastian Vettel plays the role of fireman after his Aston Martin threatens to catch fire on the Albert Park circuit, before taking a joy ride back to the pits on a scooter, something F1 stewards are now investigating.
Source: abcnews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »

Pregnancy appointments are becoming unaffordable for some women, doctors sayPregnant mothers are having to pay too many out-of-pocket costs for antenatal appointments making them out of reach for some, the peak body representing Australian GPs says. 9News This is unacceptable.
Source: 9NewsSyd - 🏆 23. / 51 Read more »