Formula 1 leader Charles Leclerc starts the Australian Grand Prix from first place on the grid. The Monegasque secured pole position on Saturday with a time of 1:17.868 minutes and ousted world champion Max Verstappen in the Red Bull with a lead of 0.286 seconds in second place. His teammate Sergio Perez landed just behind him. For Leclerc it is the eleventh pole of his career and the second of the season.
While another duel between Scuderia Ferrari and Red Bull is looming in Melbourne, Lewis Hamilton still managed to finish fifth in the Mercedes, which was still too weak.
Sebastian Vettel experienced another low blow when he came back in the cockpit after his corona infection. After the engine failure on Friday, Vettel crashed into the barriers in the final practice session on Saturday. The damage to the Aston Martin was repaired in time thanks to an accident involving his teammate Lance Stroll in the first qualifying round. As a result, the four-time world champion was only able to drive one fast lap and only secured 18th place. Because of a penalty for Alexander Albon (Williams), Vettel moves up to 17th on the grid.
Mick Schumacher finished 15th in the Haas racing car. The 23-year-old thus won the qualifying duel with his teammate Kevin Magnussen, who will start one place behind him.
Before the third round of the season this Sunday (7 a.m. CEST, Sky), Leclerc (45 points) leads in the overall World Championship standings ahead of Carlos Sainz (33) in the second Ferrari and defending champion Verstappen (25). Sunday’s race will be Australia’s first since 2019. In the past two years, the traditional GP had been canceled due to the corona pandemic.