Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has continued his dominant start to the 2023 Formula 1 season, claiming pole position at the Australian Grand Prix.
Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez, however, did not have an enjoyable afternoon at Albert Park, causing a red flag in Q1 after beaching his car in a gravel trap.
Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton impressed and will start P2 and P3 on the grid tomorrow, respectively.
Alex Albon also put in a stunning performance, extracting the most he could out of his Williams and finishing eighth.
Meanwhile, Melbourne-born driver Oscar Piastri had a disappointing home debut, bowing out in the first session.
MORE: F1 2023 Australian Grand Prix: Predictions, odds, best bets
Australian Grand Prix 2023 provisional starting grid and qualifying times
| Position | Driver | Qualifying time |
| 1 | Max Verstappen | 1:16.732 |
| 2 | George Russell | 1:16.968 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | 1:17.104 |
| 4 | Fernando Alonso | 1:17.139 |
| 5 | Carlos Sainz | 1:17.270 |
| 6 | Lance Stroll | 1:17.308 |
| 7 | Charles Leclerc | 1:17.369 |
| 8 | Alex Albon | 1:17.609 |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | 1:17.675 |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | 1:17.735 |
| 11 | Esteban Ocon | 1:17.768 |
| 12 | Yuki Tsunoda | 1:18.099 |
| 13 | Lando Norris | 1:18.119 |
| 14 | Kevin Magnussen | 1:18.129 |
| 15 | Nyck de Vries | 1:18.335 |
| 16 | Oscar Piastri | 1:18.517 |
| 17 | Zhou Guanyu | 1:18.540 |
| 18 | Logan Sargeant | 1:18.557 |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | 1:18.714 |
| 20 | Sergio Perez | DNF |
F1 2023 Australian Grand Prix qualifying live updates, commentary, highlights: As it happened
END OF Q3: Max Verstappen takes pole for the F1 2023 Australian Grand Prix!! He was certainly made to work for it, but he put in a stellar lap (1:16.732) when it mattered most to secure first position.
Mercedes will also be thrilled with their performance, with Russell and Hamilton to begin tomorrow's race in P2 and P3.
It was close, but Verstappen got the job done! 💪#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/37Rhrmg5D4
— 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 Australia (@sportingnewsau) April 1, 2023
4 mins left of Q3: There are some reports of rain approaching Albert Park near the end of the session, so most teams are heading out again now to get in another lap on soft tires.
6 mins left of Q3: And just like clockwork, Verstappen goes fastest again! He leads Hamilton by nine-thousandths of a second.
7 mins left of Q3: This is anyone's game! Most drivers have completed their first runs, and Verstappen sits in P6. Hamilton leads, followed by Alonso.
START OF Q3: Here. We. Go. Verstappen is certainly the driver to beat here, but the likes of Alonso, Russell and Leclerc have shown some impressive pace.
END OF Q2: Well, that was a frenetic ending. Haas driver Nico Hülkenberg put in a monster lap to finish P5, causing an unexpected shuffling of the standings. Albon also extracted the most out of his Williams to qualify.
Despite a strong Q1 showing, Esteban Ocon couldn't do enough to make the top 10, whilst McLaren's struggles continue following Norris' elimination.
Eliminated from Q2:
Esteban Ocon
Yuki Tsunoda
Lando Norris
Kevin Magnussen
Nyck de Vries
5 mins left of Q2: Still all to play for in this session. Half a second separates the top 8 drivers, so we can expect an exciting conclusion. Very clean driving as well. Norris briefly ran wide, but no other significant incidents yet.
10 mins left of Q2: Verstappen sets the early pace (again), recording a 1:17.219. Alonso and Leclerc follow closely behind.
START OF Q2: It's busy again on the circuit, with 10 of the 15 possible cars already on track.
END OF Q1: Disappointment for the Australian crowd, with Piastri bowing out in Q1. He will start tomorrow's race from P16. Also a tough afternoon for Alfa Romeo, with both their drivers eliminated.
Verstappen finishes P1, whilst Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton come in at second and third, respectively.
Eliminated from Q1:
Sergio Perez
Valtteri Bottas
Logan Sargeant
Guanyu Zhou
Oscar Piastri
3 mins left of Q1: A lot of movement here as drivers keep setting personal bests. As it stands, Piastri and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris are in the elimination zone.
8 mins left of Q1: No surprises here... Max Verstappen has now set the fastest time in Q1 - a 1:18.063. Albon is only less than a tenth of a second behind though, so the Dutchman will likely need to do another lap to guarantee his place.
Q1 resumes: We're back in action. Nico Hülkenberg currently has the fastest lap out of the few drivers that have set a time.
11 mins left of Q1: RED FLAG! Sergio Perez's struggles from the third practice session have continued, beaching his Red Bull in a gravel trap after locking up on an out-lap.
🚩 RED FLAG 🚩
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 1, 2023
Perez slides into the barriers #AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/RvTsXN6fJr
The Mexican's car has now been lifted away, effectively ruling him out of contention. Qualifying will get back underway in a matter of minutes.
13 mins left of Q1: Logan Sargeant spins near the final corner, but is able to comfortably return to the pits.
15 mins left of Q1: Half of the drivers are already out on track as teams look to set some early lap times. Grey clouds loom over the circuit, but rain is still not likely.
START OF Q1: We're underway at Albert Park! The Williams duo of Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant lead us out on track. At the end of this session, 15 drivers will progress to Q2, with the five slowest drivers eliminated.
🟢 Q1 GREEN LIGHT 🟢
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 1, 2023
Qualifying is go in Melbourne! 🤩#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/kBabdk6EU8
15 minutes to go: There is plenty of pressure on local driver Oscar Piastri in his Australian Grand Prix debut, but former F1 world champion Damon Hill is confident in the youngster's ability.
"I haven't seen anything that makes me concerned about the way he is driving," Hill said on Channel 10's broadcast. "I think so far he has done a fantastically good job."
30 minutes to go: The atmosphere continues to build at Albert Park. Single-day attendance records were broken on Thursday and Friday, and organisers are predicting the same outcome again today. Last year, 123,247 fans were in attendance for qualifying Saturday.
1 hour to go: Notably, the F2 sprint race - which finished moments ago - was impacted by some rainfall. Melbourne is renowned for its unpredictable weather, so even though there is a low chance of rain during qualifying, you cannot rule anything out.
1.5 hours to go: Max Verstappen has highlighted why he is the favourite this weekend, finishing P1 in the third and final practice session. He also recorded the fastest-ever F1 lap around Albert Park - 1:17.565.
His teammate Sergio Perez struggled during the session, running off the track on multiple occasions. Fernando Alonso finished a strong P2, whilst Pierre Gasly was an impressive P5.
2 hours to go: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of qualifying for the 2023 Australian Grand Prix!
The session will begin at 4:00 pm local time (AEDT).
It's fair to say that both Red Bull drivers - Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez - will be the ones to beat this afternoon at Albert Park, but can any other teams challenge them?
Notably, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri will be making his home qualifying debut, and he can expect plenty of support from the Melbourne crowd.
What time does the Australian F1 Grand Prix start?
- Date: Sunday, April 2
- Start time: 6 a.m. GMT / 1 a.m. ET / 3 p.m. local time
Sunday's 2023 Australian Grand Prix is slated to start at 3 p.m. local time.
Below is the complete schedule for the weekend's F1 events in Melbourne.
| Date | Event | Time (GMT) | Time (ET) | Time (AEDT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, Mar 31 | Practice 1 | 02:30 | 21:30 (Mar 30) | 12:30 |
| Friday, Mar 31 | Practice 2 | 06:00 | 01:00 | 16:00 |
| Saturday, Apr 1 | Practice 3 | 02:30 | 21:30 (Mar 31) | 12:30 |
| Saturday, Apr 1 | Qualifying | 06:00 | 01:00 | 16:00 |
| Sunday, Apr 2 | Race | 06:00 | 01:00 | 15:00 (AEST) |
What TV channel is F1 on?
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| TV Channel | Sky Sports F1 | ESPN/ABC | TSN (English); RDS (French) | Fox Sports; Channel 10 |
Where can I live stream F1?
| UK | USA | Canada | Australia | |
| Live Stream | NOW TV / Sky Go app | ESPN+ | fuboTV, TSN Direct | Kayo |
F1 season schedule 2023
In 2023, the Formula One Calendar is made up of 23 races across four different continents.
The action began with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 5 and will end on November 26 in Abu Dhabi.
Here's the latest schedule (subject to change):
| Date | Race |
| March 5 | Bahrain Grand Prix |
| March 19 | Saudi Arabia Grand Prix |
| April 2 | Australian Grand Prix |
| April 30 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix |
| May 7 | Miami Grand Prix |
| May 21 | Emilia Romagna Grand Prix |
| May 28 | Monaco Grand Prix |
| June 4 | Spanish Grand Prix |
| June 18 | Canadian Grand Prix |
| July 2 | Austrian Grand Prix |
| July 9 | British Grand Prix |
| July 23 | Hungarian Grand Prix |
| July 30 | Belgian Grand Prix |
| August 27 | Dutch Grand Prix |
| September 3 | Italian Grand Prix |
| September 17 | Singapore Grand Prix |
| September 24 | Japanese Grand Prix |
| October 8 | Qatari Grand Prix |
| October 22 | United States Grand Prix |
| October 29 | Mexican Grand Prix |
| November 5 | Brazilian Grand Prix |
| November 19 | Las Vegas Grand Prix |
| November 26 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
How to watch Formula 1 in the US
- TV channel: ABC; ESPN
- Live stream: FuboTV / Hulu / Sling TV
F1 fans in the USA can catch all the action in 2023 with all 23 races set to be shown live on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2. For Spanish-language viewers, they can find live broadcasts on ESPN Deportes, though ESPNews and ESPNU will also show some practice and qualifying sessions live throughout the year.
As well as on the official F1 TV service, the action can be live streamed on Hulu + Live TV with subscriptions. Elsewhere, Sling TV will also show the action, as too will FuboTV in the US.
How to watch Formula 1 in Canada
- TV channel: TSN (English); RDS (French)
- Live stream: TSN Direct
For fans in Canada, TSN will carry the English-language telecast of races. For those looking for the French-language broadcast, RDS will have you covered.
Races can be streamed on fuboTV and via TSN's streaming service, TSN Direct.
How to watch Formula 1 in the United Kingdom
- TV channel: Sky Sports F1
- Live stream: NOW TV / Sky Go app
Viewers in the United Kingdom can catch all F1 action on Sky Sports F1, the dedicated F1 channel. For viewers planning to live stream F1 in 2023, you can watch via the Sky Go app if you're an existing subscriber or you can purchase a Sky Sports Pass on NOW TV.
How to watch Formula 1 in Australia
- TV channel: Fox Sports; Channel 10
- Live stream: Kayo
Fox Sports will carry all races in Australia for the 2023 season.