(Motorsport) Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished on pole position at the Australian Grand Prix qualifying ahead of reigning World Champion Max Verstappen. Right at the end of Q3, Leclerc posted an impressive time of 1:17.868 while Verstappen finished second, more than two tenths off the Monegasque. 

Speaking after the qualification, Charles Leclerc said “It felt good. Even more, it is a track I have always struggled with. As a driver it doesn't fit me. We really worked hard. The practice sessions were a bit messy. In Q3 I managed to put everything together. The car is nice to drive. Red Bull were very quick in the long run. We were quite surprised with our pace in qualifying. Everything is possible tomorrow."

Verstappen came second ahead of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez while McLaren’s Lando Norris finished third. The Dutch racing driver said “Of course second is a good result, but I didn't feel that great. For me this weekend has been all over the place and as a team we want more." Sergio Perez said “With all the red flags it's hard to keep momentum. I didn't feel happy starting Q3 on tyres with no strategy but we have a nice race ahead of us. With full stands the race should be good tomorrow." 

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz will be disappointed to finish ninth, especially considering that his teammate Leclerc finished first in the same car. The Spaniard said “I couldn't prepare the tyre. I had to do the lap with freezing tyres and it was a terrible lap. Ferrari shouldn't have these problems. It was just a disaster." 

Meanwhile, Mercedes put up an impressive show as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fifth and sixth, one second behind the pole position but an improvement on their last Grand Prix performance. Fernando Alonso was also in contention for one of the top positions and had a quick lap in Q3 but crashed in the final sector, ending his chances. 

Earlier in Q1, Nicholas Latifi and Lance Stroll collided heavily while both of them were on slow laps. The incident could also lead to repercussions further up the grid as Sergio Perez didn’t slow down for the double yellow flags, which means he might lose out on his P3 position before tomorrow’s Grand Prix. 

Here are the top 10 results from qualification

1) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
2) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
3) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
4) Lando Norris, McLaren
5) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
6) George Russell, Mercedes
7) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
8) Esteban Ocon, Alpine
9) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
10) Fernando Alonso, Alpine

Also read: Australia GP: Leclerc fastest in FP2 with Verstappen trailing behind