15/03/2025
NEWS STORY
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton finished seventh and eighth respectively in qualifying, a result that didn't live up to expectations.
However, everything will still be possible in tomorrow's 56 lap, 306 kilometre-long race, which should be more uncertain than ever, as it's expected that heavy rain will hit Melbourne and the Albert Park circuit.
Charles and Lewis both got comfortably through the first phase, although in the second one, Hamilton had to use two sets of Soft tyres, which meant he only had one set of these when he got to Q3, whereas his team-mate had two. Leclerc did a 1'15"755 on his first run, which was good enough for provisional third, while Hamilton's 1'16"327 on used tyres put him seventh. On their second attempt at pole position, both drivers had new Softs, but Charles was unable to improve and dropped to seventh, while Lewis did go quicker with a 1'15"973, which secured him eighth spot on the grid.
Charles Leclerc: The lap wasn't great, all in all, we just didn't have the pace today. We mainly struggled with the balance of the car and putting it all together, so we have some work to do. We expect rain and tricky conditions for the race, so we will give it everything and see what's possible.
Lewis Hamilton: It isn't quite where we wanted to be but overall I'm satisfied with the progress we have made over the past two days. We didn't expect to be eight or nine tenths behind pole but given this is a weekend of firsts for me, I didn't underestimate how steep the learning curve would be. Charles has more experience of course, but I'm building confidence with the car and learning how to unlock its potential.
Now we will get our heads down and try to find out how we can close the gap. Tomorrow is going to be a challenge, especially as I've not driven this car in the wet, but we will be giving it all we can to have a positive first race and be up there.
Fred Vasseur: Obviously, we can't be satisfied with today's qualifying result. We didn't look too bad in Q1 and Q2, as we were one to two tenths off the McLarens. However, in Q3, we didn't do a good job because we didn't manage to run at the same pace as our opponents and as a result, we find ourselves in positions that do not reflect our true potential. Tomorrow's race could be a completely different scenario, as our pace was good yesterday and the forecast is for rain. The points are handed out tomorrow and we must do a good job now, preparing every last detail. I really believe we have the potential to bring home plenty of points.
Check out our Saturday gallery from Albert Park here.