McLaren's Lando Norris has claimed pole position for the Australian Grand Prix, his first at Melbourne’s Albert Park and a milestone 10th overall, following a sizzling final lap in qualifying on Saturday at Albert Park.

Piastri had looked to have taken pole from defending champion Max Verstappen, who admitted afterwards he was satisfied with third place in an under-par Red Bull car. However, Norris, stretching his McLaren to the limit on this tricky 14-turn street circuit, made it count. Not by much, though, with just 0.084 seconds in it.

Lando Norris said he was “not getting ahead” of himself, despite making the perfect start to the new Formula One season in Melbourne. The McLaren driver topped all three qualifying sessions to grab the first pole of the year from team-mate Oscar Piastri as McLaren finally showed their full hand.