A challenging qualifying session left George Russell seventh and Lewis Hamilton 11th on the grid for tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix.
After making several overnight changes, both drivers were happier with the balance of the car in FP3. That translated into promising lap times, with both within the top-five and less than two tenths off P1.
That optimism from FP3 sadly didn’t translate into qualifying. Slightly different conditions, with warmer track temperatures and a wind direction change, proved difficult to get on top of. The positive balance from earlier disappeared and left the hour-long session a struggle.
After navigating through Q1, both drivers used two new sets of the Soft tyre in Q2. Unfortunately, Lewis couldn’t improve sufficiently on his final push lap, and he was knocked out in P11.
George made it through in P10 and used his final set of new Soft compound tyres to secure P7 on the grid. A solid effort but the pace of the car was not sufficient to trouble those higher up.
Despite a difficult Saturday, there are plenty of unknowns heading into Sunday’s race which may help to shake up the order.
No driver or team has run the Hard compound tyre yet. That will be the predominantly used tyre in tomorrow’s Grand Prix. Friday also highlighted a high-risk of graining and that could lead to multiple pit stops and cars having to manage their stints carefully. All of that could contribute to an exciting Sunday afternoon in Melbourne.