Lando Norris began the 2025 F1 season in perfect fashion, topping all three qualifying sessions to grab pole in Australia from team-mate Oscar Piastri as McLaren finally showed their hand.
There had been claims from rival teams that McLaren, fresh from their constructors’ win last year, were up to a second quicker than the rest and had been sandbagging in pre-season. While those claims may have been exaggerated, Norris was 0.4sec quicker than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the fastest non-McLaren car in P3.
Mercedes’ George Russell was next quickest, half a second slower than Norris. But there was severe disappointment for Ferrari.