As expected, McLaren has started the year with impressive dominance. They delivered a stunning performance in the first qualifying session of the season, but tomorrow's race will likely be a completely different story.
After the first few fast laps of Q1, the leaders kept changing, until Lando Norris, George Russell, and Max Verstappen finally settled in. Unsurprisingly, qualifying ended in that order. Liam Lawson, on the other hand, was unlucky, as he was eliminated as the first driver in his first qualifying session with Red Bull. Both Haas drivers, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Nico Hülkenberg, were also eliminated, while rookie Gabriel Bortoleto and Jack Doohan managed to set a lap that qualified them for Q2.
In Q2, we saw a clear McLaren advantage, with Oscar Piastri and Norris leading the pack. Behind them, Verstappen and Russell were on the lookout, followed by the two Scuderia Ferrari cars. At the end of the stage, the order was Norris, Piastri, and Verstappen, while the two Williams and Yuki Tsunoda easily overcame the gap, while the two Aston Martins, Isaac Hadjart, Bortolet, and Doohan, were eliminated.
In Q3, the first attempts didn't go well for McLaren, with both cars' fast laps canceled, leaving the first tests to Verstappen, Russell, and Leclerc. The image was deceptive, of course, as McLaren still had incredible speed, and it didn't take long for them to show it. In the final tests, Lando Norris, in full speed mode, easily took pole position ahead of Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, while Yuki Tsunoda and Alexander Albon also beat the two Scuderia Ferrari cars. Incredible.
Photo: Reutres / XPB Images
