Live: F1 Australian Grand Prix Welcome to our live coverage of the 2019 Australian Grand Prix practice and qualifying sessions. Australian hope Daniel Ricciardo has been downplaying his hopes for the 2019 Formula One season but even he didn’t see what was coming in qualifying. The 29-year-old dramatically failed to progress through to the final session of qualifying after being bundled out by 0.08 seconds in Q2. Ricciardo’s final lap wasn’t enough for him to sneak into the top 10 as both he and teammate Nico Hulkenberg failed to make the final session, finishing 11th and 12th. For reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton, it was business as usual, equalling Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna’s record of eighth pole positions at one Grand Prix track with a spellbinding qualifying lap in Melbourne, Hamilton’s sixth consecutive pole in Melbourne. Hamilton was more than 0.4 seconds behind teammate Valtteri Bottas as he approached his final flying lap, but delivered an absolutely stonking final lap to steal pole. The result saw Mercedes lock out the front row of the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix with Sebastian Vettel more than 0.7 seconds behind. Max Verstappen made a late charge to finish fourth ahead of Charles Leclerc. “Mercedes smashed them to bits there,” Sky Sports’ Martin Brundle said. “Absolutely smashed Red Bull and Ferrari.” The pole position is Hamilton’s eighth pole in Melbourne and the sixth consecutive time he has secured pole in Australia It was also Hamilton’s 58th career pole with Mercedes. Hamilton said it was a tense qualifying session and that he was “shaking it was so close out there”. At the end of the second round of qualifying, Ricciardo and his teammate only did the one late run in the second session — and they came to regret it when neither of their cars could break the top 10. “Both Renaults out, a bit of a shocker there,” Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle said. Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat, Antonio Giovinazzi, Alex Albon, Ricciardo and Hulkenberg were the drivers eliminated. Ricciardo also suffered the added pain of finishing second to his teammate. Q2: Full classification New lap record for Hamilton 👊 Both Toro Rossos, Giovinazzi and the Renaults are out 🔽#AusGP 🇦🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/b77qhVrItU — Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2019 BREAKING: ELIMINATED (Q2) Double 🍌 as both Renaults leave qualifying 😯 11 HUL 12 RIC 13 ALB 14 GIO 15 KVY#AusGP 🇦🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/jthNotGEAy — Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2019 Ricciardo said that 12th wasn’t where the car was and he was confident to sneak into the points tomorrow. “I knew it was going to be tough but I did believe we had the pace for Q3,” Ricciardo said. “I don't know how deep we could have got into the top 10 but I was just half a tenth to get into Q3 and I knew that was there, it was in the car. I lost it in the first sector, I was down a bit, close to a tenth there. That's alone was why I was frustrated with myself because I knew it was there in the car. It’s alright, normally if I don’t qualify as well as I think I can, I seem to carry a little chip on my shoulder for the race, so I’ll use this fuel for tomorrow.” While Ricciardo wasn’t happy with where he ended up, he did beat out Pierre Gasly, the driver who replaced him at Red Bull. Gasly’s failure to escape the drop zone in Q1 was the biggest shock of the session. Ricciardo had to perform his own late escape in the opening qualifying session, setting a quick, late lap to jump Gasly and record the 13th quickest lap. Gasly was eliminated in 17th position. Q1: Full classification A puncture made Kubica's situation worse 💥 Gasly timed out in the pits ⌛️#AusGP 🇦🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/PWk3EzPSik — Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2019 Oops. Gasly's Red Bull is knocked out of Q1. And one of the latest runs that did it was - guess who? - Daniel Ricciardo's last lap in the Renault https://t.co/qWrZoZ7ssv — Andrew Benson (@andrewbensonf1) March 16, 2019 Red Bulls not looking too happy... probably not the start Gasly was after. #F1 #AusGP — Phill Tromans (@PhillTromans) March 16, 2019 WTF Gasly out — Ivan Arizpe (@FlexZCoD) March 16, 2019 Gasly spoke after the elimination and couldn’t hide his disappointment. “Unfortunately it is going to be tough,” Gasly said of the race. “It is going to be a difficult now but it’s a long day it is important to stay positive and take that experience with the car and improve.” Red Bull shocked F1 commentators throughout the first qualifying as drivers Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly failed to beat Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg’s time midway through the session. “What is going on at Red Bull,” Sky Sports guru Martin Brundle said. “Red Bull really on the back foot.” Ricciardo then split the Red Bulls when he registered his first time, recording the eighth fastest lap, 0.17 seconds behind Hulkenberg with five minutes left in the session. Verstappen eventually responded by setting the third fastest lap behind the two Mercedes with four minutes remaining. The two Williams, Lance Stroll, Kevin Magnussen and the huge shock of Red Bull’s Pierre Gasly were the drivers eliminated. AUSTRALIAN GP QUALIFYING TIMESHEET 1) Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:20.486 2) Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) +0.112 3) Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) +0.704 4) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) +0.834 5) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.956 6) Romain Grosjean (Haas) +1.340 7) Kevin Magnussen (Haas) +1,613 8) Lando Norris (McLaren) +1,818 9) Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo) +1,828 10) Sergio Perez (Racing Point) +2.295 Out in Q2 11) Nico Hulkenberg (Renault) 1:22.562 12) Daniel Ricciardo (Renault) 1:22.570 13) Alex Albon (Toro Rosso) 1:22.636 14) Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) 1:22.714 15) Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso) 1:22.774 Out in Q1 16) Lance Stroll (Racing Point) 1:23.017 17) Pierre Gasly (Red Bull) 1:23.020 18) Carlos Sainz (McLaren) 1:23.084 19) George Russell (Williams) 1:24.360 20) Robert Kubica (Williams) 1:26.067<doc-sep>Melbourne Qualifying: Hamilton and Mercedes demolish Ferrari Lewis Hamilton powered to pole position for the 2019 Formula 1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes front row lockout with Valtteri Bottas second and Sebastian Vettel a distant third as the World Champions simply thumped the Ferrari on the day. The sandbagging and ‘fake’ concerns in the Silver Arrows camp were unwarranted as the W10, is another great piece of kit with an edge over their rivals in Party Mode, as the season begins, seven-tenths is an age in Formula 1 and an ominous signal for the other teams on the grid. Hamilton was made to graft for his sixth pole in succession, his eighth at the venue, as Bottas found some good pace in his first run in Q3, which Hamilton failed to match with an untidy first lap in the last session. But typically the five-time F1 World Champion found that extra bit that he has to take top spot with a startling 1:20.485 which was good for pole by a tenth over car #77. He said afterwards, “I’m shaking, what a beautiful day and thank you to the crowd for a great atmosphere. The team had no idea during testing what we would be up against and they’ve worked so hard in the factory and here this weekend – the team have worked to perfection. Congratulations to Valtteri [Bottas] also. It’s great to see the top six teams top within a second of each, it’s great to see.” Bottas laid down an impressive marker with his first run in Q3, but was again short on firepower to beat his teammate when it mattered, “We really made some good progress, I had a difficult practice three and we turned things around for the qualifying. The Q3 lap one was really good, I enjoyed that. Fortunately, it wasn’t enough for pole but Lewis did a great job at the end and I struggled a bit in the first sector on the second run. Anyway, it was fun and I look forward to tomorrow.” Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto’s first session in charge of the Reds was not a memorable one as Vettel was six tenths shy of Hamilton’s best in third place and Charles Leclerc, who topped Q1, was almost a full second shy of car #44 and down in fifth. Not the start of the season the Scuderia expected, the qualy gap far bigger than anyone imagined and the Merc party-mode the one to have. Credit to last year’s winner Vettel for appearing unfazed by the demolition job when asked if he could win the race on Sunday, the German replied, “Of course I think we can, you never know what’s happening.” “The race is over when there’s a chequered flag we have a good car and a good strategy we are here to race so we’ll see what happens tomorrow The Red Bull Honda era finally got underway, but it was a bittersweet day as Max Verstappen wrestled the RB15 around Albert Park to fourth place on the grid, while his teammate Pierre Gasly failed to make it beyond Q3 in what has not been a hassle-free induction to Red Bull as he would have hoped for. Haas confirmed that they have a handy car as Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen were Best of the Rest in seventh and eighth respectively, albeit 1.4 seconds down on the benchmark time, suggesting the midfield has not made serious inroads in closing the gap to the Big Three. The Driver of the Day must be young Lando Norris who qualified eighth fastest on his first Saturday as a Formula 1 driver. The teenager, fastest of the Renault-powered quartet never put a foot wrong while his more experienced teammate Carlos Sainz failed to make it beyond Q1. Alfa Romeo looked racy throughout practice with veteran Kimi Raikkonen particularly so but, in qualy, they lacked compared to fellow-Ferrari powered Haas. The Finn was ninth quickest. with rookie teammate Antonio Giovinazzi 14th. Disappointments? There were many. Renault confirmed suspicions that they might be in trouble. On the engine front, Norris saved face (if you can call it that) for the French manufacturer whose works cars were 11th and 12th, with Nico Hulkenberg a tenth quicker than his new teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Not where the team targeting Best of the Rest this season wanted to be at the beginning of their campaign, particularly galling for Renault will be Verstappen’s performance in the Honda-powered Red Bull. For now it is Red Bull one, Renault zero. Lance Stroll’s first qualifying for his father Lawrence’s team was forgettable as he struggled to find the sweet spot despite appearing to have the edge over Sergio Perez during free practice. The Mexican was good for 10th, with the Canadian set to line up in 16th on Sunday. Toro Rosso will also be disappointed that they were not further up the road, their package is better than 13th and 15th, with rookie Alex Albon beating returnee Daniil Kvyat but the car had more in it if free practice was anything to go by. Finally, and unfortunately, we will be writing this many times this year, Williams were stone last by a country mile with George Russell and Robert Kubica 19th and 20th respectively. The Grove outfit in disarray, after Culprit-in chief-Paddy Lowe bailed out of the sinking ship, were four seconds off the pole time, over 1.3 seconds down on their closest rivals in Q1. Kubica’s first F1 qualifying in over eight years is not one he will remember. He suffered a right rear puncture and ended up skidding over the grass on his final effort in Q1. Despite preseason smokescreens and other “bullshit” from Mercedes during the preseason, they start the season as clear favourites with their incredible power unit package again delivering on tap when required. This time they pumped up the volume a tad too loud (normally they are more cautious) and inadvertently revealed what they have now is at least half a second up on their rivals at round one of this 21-round title fight.<doc-sep>Lewis Hamilton set a new track record - and then beat it again - as he took pole position for the Australian Grand Prix. The reigning world champion clocked a one minute 21.014-second lap in Q2 and went more than half a second faster to claim his 84th career pole and sixth consecutive at Albert Park. He will start alongside team-mate Valtteri Bottas who went faster than Hamilton with his first flying lap in Q3 but was pipped by 0.112 seconds to complete a Mercedes lockout of the front row. Hamilton had been top of every practice session going into Saturday's qualification under blue skies in Melbourne and set a new track record with a tidy lap in the second qualifying session, surpassing it in the top 10 shootout. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel qualified third, 0.704 seconds behind the five-time world champion, and will be joined on the second row by Red Bull's Max Verstappen who was 0.130 seconds further behind.<doc-sep>2:34 Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton insists his pole position for the season-starting Australian GP was a surprise. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton insists his pole position for the season-starting Australian GP was a surprise. Lewis Hamilton says the size of Mercedes' superiority in qualifying for the Australian GP was "a real shock" after the world champions blitzed pre-season favourites Ferrari. Although Hamilton took pole for the season-opener by just one tenth from team-mate Valtteri Bottas, it was the size of Mercedes' advantage over their rival teams which shocked the paddock. Sebastian Vettel was over half a second behind as he took third on the grid while Max Verstappen was nearly a full second adrift despite landing fourth place ahead of Charles Leclerc. Hamilton tops Mercedes one-two in qualifying Full qualifying results from Melbourne "I really wasn't expecting to see the performance difference," said Hamilton. "It is a real shock. "We really had no idea that we would have this performance. We thought we would be behind." Vettel admitted: "The gap is a surprise, we didn't expect it coming here. "I'm certainly surprised. I think everyone is." The judgement of Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle was even more emphatic. "Mercedes smashed them to bits," said Brundle. "Mercedes have absolutely thrashed Ferrari and Red Bull." Get Sky Sports F1 for 2019 Mercedes had claimed during pre-season testing that they believed Ferrari were half a second ahead. But in the event it was Mercedes who topped the timesheets by over a half second for the first qualifying session of the year. "We were wary we were behind," said Hamilton. "Honestly. But from then until now, we've understood the car more. We've made some really big step forwards with set-up. "But l know that Ferrari will put up a good fight tomorrow because they are strong in the races." 0:46 Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel reflects with Sky F1 on his hopes in the Australian GP after qualifying third. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel reflects with Sky F1 on his hopes in the Australian GP after qualifying third. A year ago, Hamilton took pole by a similar margin at Albert Park before losing out to his Ferrari rival on race day. Vettel added: "There's homework for us to do but l still think we have a great car. "Mercedes are the clear favourites." Sky Sports F1's Australian GP schedule Sunday, March 17 3.30am: Australian GP Pitlane Live - Simulcast on Sky Sports F1, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky One. 4.15am: Australian GP On The Grid Live - Simulcast on Sky Sports F1, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky One. 5.10am: THE AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX LIVE - Simulcast on Sky Sports F1, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky One. 7am: Australian GP Paddock Live - Simulcast on Sky Sports F1, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky One. 8am: Full race replay Australian GP - Simulcast on Sky Sports F1, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky One. 11.35am: Full race replay Australian GP - Simulcast on Sky Sports F1 and Sky One. Sky Sports F1 is the home of live and exclusive F1 - and new and existing customers in the UK can now get the channel for just £10 extra a month, our best-ever offer. Find out more here to watch the 2019 season live<doc-sep>
Daniel Ricciardo has had a less than ideal start to his life at Renault, qualifying for his home Grand Prix in 12th. Daniel Ricciardo’s start to life at Renault has been less than ideal, qualifying for his home Grand Prix in 12th on a day Lewis Hamilton once again stole the show. Ricciardo was narrowly outperformed on Saturday by teammate Nico Hulkenberg, who will start Sunday’s race at Albert Park in 11th after posting a time eight hundredths of a second quicker. “Both Renaults had a bit of a shocker there,” former F1 driver Martin Brundle said on Sky Sports. RACE CENTRE: Qualifying results, times FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED: Ricciardo has ‘chip on his shoulder’, champs can’t hide: Live stream the Formula 1® Rolex Australian Grand Prix 2019 on KAYO SPORTS. Every practice, qualifying & race live & anytime in HD. Try 14-Days Free Now > The day once again belonged to five-time world champion Hamilton, who broke the track record on his way to pole position. He will lead the pack for the season opener after setting a record time of 1.20.486, 0.112 seconds ahead of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finished qualifying a distant third (+0.704), while Max Verstappen was fourth (+0.834). Hamilton also equalled the record for the most pole positions at a single circuit, making it eight in Melbourne. Only legends Ayrton Senna (Imola) and Michael Schumacher (Suzuka) have claimed eight at one track. “I didn’t know about that. It is news to me,” Hamilton said when told about his record-equalling effort. The record wasn’t the only shock for Hamilton. He couldn’t believe Mercedes had made such great strides at Melbourne since Ferrari had dominated recent testing in Spain. “It’s a real shock. But I know Ferrari will be pushing hard tomorrow and they will put up a good fight,” he said. READ MORE: RICCIARDO FINALLY DRAWS BLOOD IN TEAMMATE BATTLE AS FERRARI GO TOE-TO-TOE WITH MERCEDES ‘I’M NOT SURE THEY’VE GOT ENOUGH’: F1 EXPERTS DOUBT RICCIARDO’S RENAULT REVOLUTION I HAVEN’T GOT FAT!’ RICCIARDO EXPLAINS FRUSTRATING AUS GP DELAY SANDBAGGING? FERRARI MYSTERY AS DELAYED DAN LEFT BEHIND BY TEAMMATE Earlier in Q1, Australian hearts were in mouths as Ricciardo languished in the dropzone when the clock ran out. The Australian flirted with an early exit, but pulled himself out of the bottom five after the buzzer by less than a tenth of a second. Red Bull new boy Pierre Gasly wasn’t so lucky and was shockingly dumped out in Q1 to make the worst possible start to his life as Ricciardo’s replacement. Gasly said he was happy with his lap but added: “Clearly the track evolution was big and it was quite a surprise (to be eliminated).” Also eliminated in Q1 was Racing Point’s Lance Stroll, McLaren’s Carlos Sainz, and new Williams pair George Russell and Robert Kubica. Kubica was in his first F1 qualifying session since 2010, when his career, and life, were nearly ended by a serious rally crash. On Saturday, he kissed the wall twice - once in practice and once in qualifying - and ended up on the grass in Q1. The biggest shock of Q2 was reserved for McLaren youngster Lando Norris, who scraped into the final session on F1 debut. Elsewhere, Ferrari recruit Charles Leclerc qualified in fifth, while Haas pair Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen were quick enough for sixth and seventh respectively. Kimi Raikkonen was ninth in his new Alfa Romeo. AUSTRALIAN GP QUALIFYING TIMESHEET 1) Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:20.486 2) Valtteri Bottas Mercedes +0.112 3) Sebastian Vettel Ferrari +0.704 4) Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.834 5) Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.956 6) Romain Grosjean Haas +1.340 7) Kevin Magnussen Haas +1.613 8) Lando Norris McLaren +1.818 9) Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo +1.828 10) Sergio Perez Racing Point +2.295 Out in Q2 11) Nico Hulkenberg Renault 1:22.562 12) Daniel Ricciardo Renault 1:22.570 13) Alex Albon Toro Rosso 1:22.636 14) Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 1:22.714 15) Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:22.774 Out in Q1 16) Lance Stroll Racing Point 1:23.017 17) Pierre Gasly Red Bull 1:23.020 18) Carlos Sainz McLaren 1:23.084 19) George Russell Williams 1:24.360 20) Robert Kubica Williams 1:26.067 Relive all the action in the blog below. PROBLEM AROUND RICCIARDO’S GENTLEMAN AREA’ On Friday, Practice 2 didn’t start well for Ricciardo after a problem with his seat meant he missed a chunk of time at the start. “It was a bit frustrating,” he said.