The first qualifying session of the 2025 Formula 1 season is here, and it is all to play for at the Australian Grand Prix.
Saturday’s third practice session saw hometown hero Oscar Piastri top the timing sheets, as lap times tumbled throughout the hour-long session as teams and drivers put in more simulated qualifying runs. However, Piastri is not the only driver to watch as qualifying begins. Mercedes driver George Russell was just 0.039 seconds off Piastri’s pace, and Max Verstappen was just 0.081 seconds behind in third.
But several other drivers are in the mix. The Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton showed improved pace on Saturday, and Russell’s new teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished fifth in FP3. The Williams pair of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Alexander Albon finished sixth and seventh respectively — and showed true race pace earlier in the session with some laps on the hard compound — and Lando Norris was on a blistering lap at one point before bailing out in the final sector. Norris finished in P10 but those first two sectors certainly caught the eyes of many in the paddock.
Follow along live as we break down the first qualifying session of the 2025 F1 season. All times are in Eastern.
