Australian Daniel Ricciardo will start Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix in the front row after posting a career-best qualifying time at Melbourne’s Albert Park.
Overcoming mechanical problems in the first session, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton nabbed pole position in the rain, sneaking into top spot by three tenths of a second in the final moments of a very wet day of qualifying.
CraveOnline’s Full Australian Grand Prix Preview
Looking to become the first Australian to ever claim pole position in Melbourne, Ricciadro had the home crowd buzzing, but was edged out by the smallest of margins despite slipping over the final lap finish line first.
“It was exciting. Definitely, the weather added to the mix. The whole session went well,” Ricciardo said of his debut.
“When the rain fell, I think it was … the first time we’ve all really driven these cars in the wet conditions. It was tricky but at the same time a lot of fun.”
Hamilton’s teammate Nico Rosberg finished a close third while McLaren rookie driver Kevin Magnussen clocked in at fourth ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.
Ricciadro’s Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel will start the Australian Grand Prix from 12th position after struggling with the weather conditions.
Vettel’s difficulties handling his car in pre-qualifying practice carried over into Saturday’s qualifying as the four-time world champ finished 2.4 seconds behind his new teammate, the first time the German has failed to make the final round of qualifying since Belgium in 2012.
“I struggled with drivability,” Vettel said. “We have lost that overnight, so we need to find out why that was.”
Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix – Top 10 qualifiers
1. L.Hamilton (Mercedes) 1:44.231
2. D.Ricciardo (Red Bull) 1:44.548
3. N.Rosberg (Mercedes) 1:44.595
4. K.Magnussen (McLaren) 1:45.745
5. F.Alonso (Ferrari) 1:45.819
6. J.Vergne (Toro Rosso) 1:45.864
7. N.Hulkenberg (Force India) 1:46.030
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Photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
