Lewis Hamilton 8th in qualifying in Ferrari debut as Norris takes pole for F1 race in Australia

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Lewis Hamilton qualified eighth-fastest in his Ferrari debut as McLaren's Lando Norris claimed pole position for the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday at Albert Park.

"Not a bad way to start the year, thanks everyone,” Norris said on his team radio shortly after the qualifying session ended ahead of Sunday's opening race of the Formula 1 season.

Norris went into the third session of final qualifying on the back foot after his first lap was deleted for track limit infringements at turn four, where he had all four wheels off the track.

Norris' teammate and Melbourne-born Oscar Piastri was second, enabling McLaren to lock out the front row for the second straight race, following 2024's season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

“Pretty happy. It’s obviously great to start the year on the font row — only one position back from what I would’ve liked,” Piastri said. “Just not quite enough in Q3 but I’m pretty happy with a solid start.”

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the defending world champion, claimed third, shrugging off pre-season pace concerns for the team about its RB21 car.

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AP Formula 1: https://apnews.com/hub/formula-one