Winners and losers from the 2025 Australian Grand Prix qualifying

The first competitive session of the F1 2025 season is already in the books and there is plenty for each team to be thinking about.

Lando Norris took the opening pole of the year with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri not far behind but it was a worrying start for Ferrari.

Winners and losers from the Australian Grand Prix qualifying

Winner: McLaren

Enough of the pre-season talk, qualifying at the first grand prix is the real test of who is on top and McLaren answered that emphatically.

For a team that has picked up a reputation of being slow starters, McLaren continued where they left 2024 off. Aside from mistake-filled runs early in Q3, they were dominant throughout the session, making it look like the battle for pole was only between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Norris again showed he had the edge over his team-mate, finishing 0.084 seconds ahead, but with P3 Max Verstappen more than four times that down the road, it is a dream start for the reigning Constructors’ champions.

Loser: Ferrari

Of the four hopeful title contenders, it is Ferrari who have been left licking their wounds after quali.

Both Charles Leclerc, but in particular Lewis Hamilton, struggled to get the car in the zone throughout the session and a move into the top spots early in Q3 proved to be a false dawn with both drivers finishing out of the top five.

Work to do in Maranello.

Winner: Yuki Tsunoda

While the latest Red Bull recruit left the session at the earliest opportunity, the man who was passed over continued to show why he deserved a chance.

Yuki Tsunoda put in a blistering performance to not only finish ahead of Lawson but to be ahead of both Ferraris.

The Japanese driver will start fifth in Melbourne, the second-best quali of his career, and while it will be a challenge to keep quicker cars behind, the 24-year-old has given himself an excellent chance of beginning the season with points.

Loser: Liam Lawson

8,000 miles away from the Albert Park Circuit, 129 million people have just shouted “told you!”

Liam Lawson’s Red Bull debut could not have begun in a more frustrating manner for the Kiwi. A disrupted practice resulted in a qualifying session that saw him push too hard to get performance out of the RB21.

The result was his tyres giving way at the end of his Q1 lap, giving the grass a nice shave, before he retired into the pits.

Lawson said he “shouldn’t be going off in quali” but Max Verstappen was once again left picking up the pieces.

Winner: Williams

The new look Williams began 2025 in fine fashion with not one but two drivers in Q3.

The Grove side has not enjoyed that future since Azerbaijan last year and the fact that they managed it in the first race of the season will make team principal James Vowles very happy over the direction they are going in.

It is early days, but the Sainz-Albon partnership already looks like one that will see both drivers be pushed in a beneficial way.

Loser: Haas

It has been a nightmare weekend for Oliver Bearman so far but things have not been much better on the other side of the Haas garage.

Esteban Ocon was the slowest driver to set a time in Melbourne on his first weekend with the team and for a constructor that had a lot of positives in 2024, 2025 has been begun with less optimism.

More reaction from quali in Melbourne

? Lewis Hamilton admits Ferrari ‘didn’t expect’ McLaren gap in Aus GP qualifying
? Liam Lawson bemoans missed opportunity as Australian GP Q1 exit explained

Winner: Jack Doohan

With pre-season talk dominated by when he might lose his east, Jack Doohan shut up a few critics in quali.

The second best-performing rookie behind Isack Hadjar, the Australian qualified 14th at his home venue, successfully navigating his way out of Q1 for the first time.

He will be judged on his race pace ultimately and Flavio Briatore may well have already made his mind up but if there are any doubts, Doohan has put his case forward.

Loser: Aston Martin

After an underwhelming 2024, a P12 and P13 to start the year does not make for great reading at Aston Martin.

A brief foray into the top five for Fernando Alonso resulted in damage being sustained to the car and knocking him out of Q3 convention while Lance Stroll finished one spot lower than his team-mate.

A comfortable P5 last year, Williams having two cars in the top 10 suggest Aston may find themselves under threat if they do not improve quickly.

Read next: What is the grid order for the 2025 Australian Grand Prix?