British driver George Russell secured the first pole position of the season in qualifying for the Formula 1 race in Melbourne, Australia. He won the qualifying session ahead of his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli and Red Bull's Isack Hadjar. Reigning world champion Lando Norris of McLaren finished sixth, and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton finished seventh.
Half-Swedish driver Arvid Lindblad, competing for Great Britain and Red Bull, placed eighth. Red Bull's Max Verstappen reportedly crashed early in qualifying and could not continue. In a separate event, Dino Beganovic secured pole position for the Formula 2 main race in Melbourne, but was reportedly hit and finished far back in the sprint race.