Piastri had looked to have taken pole from defending champion Max Verstappen, who admitted afterwards he was satisfied with third place in an under-par Red Bull car. However, Norris, stretching his McLaren to the limit on this tricky 14-turn street circuit, made it count. Not by much, though, with just 0.084 seconds in it.

For Norris, he believes pole position came down to a willingness to take “a good amount of risks.” Asked in the FIA Press Conference after qualifying about whether he expected a “stronger challenge” from Ferrari, Norris spoke at length about just what it takes to find the time you need as a driver.

Lando Norris took the first pole position of the 2025 Formula One season and will be joined on the front row by McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri for the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.