Australian GP 2019

MARCH 16, 2019

Qualifying Report - We had no idea

Lewis Hamilton. Australian GP 2019
© RV Press

By Dan Knutson in Melbourne

Lewis Hamilton earned his 84th career F1 pole position as he beat out Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix.

"Coming from testing we had no idea where we'd be," Hamilton said.

Turns out Mercedes would be first and second.

The line-up for the weekend was: Mercedes – Hamilton and Bottas; Ferrari – Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc; Red Bull TAG Heuer –Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly; Renault – Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg; Haas Ferrari – Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; McLaren Renault – Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris; Racing Point Mercedes – Sergio Perez and Lance Stroll; Alfa Romeo Ferrari – Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi; Toro Rosso Honda – Daniil Kvyat and Alexander Albon; Williams Mercedes – George Russell and Robert Kubica.

QUALIFYING 1

Hamilton was best in FP3 with a time of 1:22.292.

Norris and Kubica were the first out in Q1 which lasted 18 minutes.

Vettel, on the medium compound Pirelli slicks, set the first fast time but was quickly moved down the list. Hamilton, on the soft tires, took the lead with a 1:22.681 only to beaten by Bottas' 1:22.658.

Vettel, still on the mediums, got down to a 1:22.885 which put him third.

With five minutes remaining, Sainz was 15th and on the bubble with Magnussen 16th and Raikkonen 14th.

Hamilton had another rub and improved to 1:22.043.

The track grip improved a lot in the closing minutes and the times came tumbling down. Leclerc was fastest at 1:22.017. The order changed and rechanged behind him, and when it finally was over, the five drivers who were eliminated at the end of Q1 were: Stroll, Gasly, Sainz, Russell and Kubica.

The fastest 15 drivers who moved on to Q2 were: Leclerc, Hamilton, Bottas, Giovinazzi, Kvyat, Magnussen, Hulkenberg, Norris, Albon, Verstappen, Vettel, Perez, Ricciardo, Grosjean and Raikkonen.

There was a gap of exactly one second between first and 16th places.

QUALIFYING 2

Q2 lasted 15 minutes, and Hamilton and the Ferrari drivers were first on track. Everybody would use the soft compound tires in Q2 and Q1.

Hamilton turned a 1:21.861, but Leclerc beat him at 1:21.739. Bottas then topped them all at 121.241. Vettel was fourth and Raikkonen fifth with eight minutes to go.

Then Verstappen jumped up to second.

After everyone had done a run, Perez was tenth and on the cutoff line, with Grosjean 11th and Ricciardo ninth.

With less than four minutes remaining all the drivers were in the pits. Then they started to head out for one last go. Only Leclerc remained in the garage.

Hamilton improved to a 1:21.014. Bottas and the Ferrari drivers (Vettel slid off the track) could not beat that.

The five drivers who were eliminated at the end of Q2 were: Hulkenberg, Ricciardo, Albon, Giovinazzi and Kvyat.

The fastest 10 drivers who moved on to Q3 were: Hamilton, Bottas, Verstappen, Leclerc, Grosjean, Vettel, Magnussen, Raikkonen, Norris and Perez.

QUALIFYING 3

Q3 lasted 12 minutes. Hamilton, who slid off the track, turned a 1:21.056, and Bottas beat him with a 1:20.598.

Vettel grabbed third ahead of Leclerc, Verstappen, Grosjean, Magnussen and Norris. Raikkonen and Perez did not make an initial run.

All ten drivers were in the pits with four minutes to go, but then they started to head out for the last runs.

Hamilton clocked a 1:20.486, and Bottas couldn't beat that. Vettel remained third and Verstappen took fourth from Leclerc. Grosjean, Magnussen, Norris, Raikkonen and Sainz rounded out the top ten.