As you might expect, McLaren have started the year with serious dominance. They put in a stunning performance in the first qualifying session of the season, but tomorrow's race is likely to be a different matter entirely.
After the first fast laps of Q1 we saw constant changes in the top positions, with Lando Norris, George Russell and Max Verstappen all stuck there. There were no surprises, qualifying finished in the same order. Liam Lawson was unlucky though, as the stable first one was eliminated straight away in his first qualifying race with Red Bull. The same was true for the two Haas drivers, Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Nico Hülkenberg, while rookies Gabriel Bortoleto and Jack Doohan also managed a qualifying lap for Q2.
In Q2 we could clearly see McLaren's advantage, Oscar Piastri and Norris were leading the field. Behind them lurked Verstappen and Russell, and behind them were two Scuderia Ferrari cars. At the end of the stage the order was: Norris, Piastri, Verstappen, two Williams and Yuki Tsunoda also advanced easily, while among the dropouts were two Aston Martins, Isaac Hadjart, Bortoleto and Doohan.
In Q3 the first tests didn't go well for McLaren, both of their cars had their first laps cancelled, so the first fastest tests showed the order Verstappen, Russell, Leclerc. The view was deceptive though, as there was plenty of pace left in the McLaren, it didn't take long to show. In the final tests Lando Norris, accelerating at blistering speed, easily took the pole from a difficult position ahead of Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, while the two Scuderia Ferraris were also passed by Yuki Tsunoda and Alexander Albon. Shocking.
Photo: Reutres / XPB Images
