Australian GP
Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit
Qualifying ended
1 month ago
That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed our coverage of qualifying on the McLaren.com Pitwall. See you back here tomorrow for the race.
1 month ago
Head to https://www.facebook.com/Pirelli?sk=app_371372936221033 to join in the discussion at 7.30pm Melbourne time / 8.30am in the UK.
1 month ago
Before signing off, we want to point you in the direction of Pirelli, who have Paul Hembery live on their motorsport facebook page...
1 month ago
We hope you agree that was worth getting up early for!
1 month ago
The top 10 on the grid: 1) Lewis, 2) Jenson, 3) GRO, 4) MSC, 5) WEB, 6) VET, 7) ROS, 8) MAL, 9) HUL, 10) RIC.
1 month ago
What a fantastic start to the year for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. A one-two on the grid in Melbourne. Roll on Sunday!
1 month ago
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Jenson, you are P2. This is a McLaren 1-2. Lewis is on pole, we're just 0.1s off. Great job, great job."
1 month ago
Hamilton: "Box this lap."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "You have a good gap behind. You have time to back up to make the gap."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "The car in front is GRO. He's 4s ahead, but expect him to come back towards you."
1 month ago
Round 2 of Q3. Both cars venture out on-track, Jenson ahead of Lewis.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Great lap, Lewis. Not everyone has used new tyres yet, but you're currently fastest by 0.7s."
1 month ago
Lewis flies around Albert Park to set the fastest lap: 1:24.9s. Jenson is currently second quickest on 1:25.7s.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Gaps are good. Everyone is on an out-lap."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "The car in front is Lewis. He has a big gap in front, so he shouldn't have to back you up. The car behind is MSC, 6s behind."
1 month ago
Both MP4-27s fire up. Here we go!!!
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Green flag, the session's open. We're going out in about one minute."
1 month ago
Are you excited?
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Just over 1.5 mins until the start of the session."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Q3 starts in 4 mins time. We'll be going out 1 min into the session."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "On the out-lap of the next run, can you use some KERS?"
1 month ago
And the fallers at the end of Q2: VER, ALO, KOB, SEN, DIR, MAS, PER.
1 month ago
The top 10 for you: 1) ROS, 2) MSC, 3) Lewis, 4) Jenson, 5) GRO, 6) VET, 7) MAL, 8) WEB, 9) HUL, 10) RIC
1 month ago
There's confirmation: Lewis ends Q2 in third and Jenson in fourth. Q3 here we come!
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Q3 begins in 10 mins time."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "We will not be going out again. We are safe."
1 month ago
With just over two mins of Q2 remaining, it's getting busy on-track. But not in our garage: all is calm, everyone watching the monitors
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "The session has re-started, but we're comfortable where we are."
1 month ago
With 8 mins remaining we lie first and second, ahead of VET and WEB.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "If you want to hop out, now's a good time during the red flag. We won't need to go out again."
1 month ago
Red flag. The session has been stopped while ALO's car is cleared from the gravel trap at Turn 1.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Okay, Jenson, box this lap. We are currently P2, just a tiny fraction behind Lewis. We believe that time is good enough."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Complete the lap. We then have yellow flags at Turn 1. Box this lap."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Track position is good. This will be two timed laps."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Gap behind still 8s."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Straight out please. We're looking for the gap behind HUL, who's coming past now."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "We've got DIR coming past us now. There is a 20s gap behind him."
1 month ago
Lewis heads out, this time on the soft Pirelli tyre.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "That's the session started. We're going out in about 2.5 mins."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "We think you'll need to set a 1:25.5s to be safe in Q2. Your best lap this morning was a 25.6s, but we'll be lighter in this session."
1 month ago
The first fallers of the year: RAI, KOV, PET, GLO, PIC, DLR, KAR.
1 month ago
The top 10 in Q1 for you: 1) KOB, 2) VER, 3) GRO, 4) MSC, 5) PER, 6) ALO, 7) ROS, 8) VET, 9) Lewis, 10) MAL
1 month ago
So, Lewis is ninth (1:26.800s) in Q1 and Jenson 11th (1:26.832s).
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Q2 starts in 6 mins time."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "We're safely through. It looks like RAI hasn't made it."
1 month ago
Done it, both cars are through to Q2.
1 month ago
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "We're not going out again. We're going to get through with the times we've already set."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "We've got about another minute until we have to go again, if we go."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "It's going to be tight..."
1 month ago
1 month ago
With 5 mins of Q1 to go, we're second and third fastest. Rosberg only car ahead.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "1m26.8s"
1 month ago
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Box this lap."
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "You are just half a tenth off the fastest lap. Box this lap."
1 month ago
Hamilton: "There's a lot of traffic. How much time have I got to find?"
1 month ago
Lewis posts his first flying lap of the session, a 1:26.8s. Just 0.1s faster than Jenson.
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Webber behind is also on a slow lap. Track position is good, you have a 9s gap in front."
1 month ago
Bam: Jenson goes fastest.
1 month ago
Lewis runs a little wide at Turn 1, but continues... No harm done.
1 month ago
Pit » HAM: "Rosberg ahead is on an out-lap, the car behind - a Virgin - is on a timed lap. Gap behind is 3s, stay in this position."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Track position is good. You have a 10s gap in front."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Maldonado 3s behind you on a timed lap. Stay ahead of him."
1 month ago
Pit » BUT: "Drive straight out, we're looking for the gap behind Ricciardo."
1 month ago
Now Jenson's on-track too.
1 month ago
Ah, the sound of a Merc V8 fills the garage. Lewis heads out for his first run on the medium-spec tyre.
1 month ago
Tyres are being put on Lewis's car. Not long now...
1 month ago
Lots of unknowns going into the session. Can anyone risk trying to get into Q3 using only the medium-spec Pirelli tyre?
1 month ago
2012 Australian Grand Prix Qualifying
“The most beautiful car in Formula 1 – and, today, the fastest!”
South Africa '72 - 40 years ago today
Hard to believe that it was 40 years ago today: as a 19-year-old aspiring F1 journalist, fresh out of Sydney, Australia, Peter Windsor didn’t know what to expect when his plane landed in Johannesburg in March 1972 for the South African Grand Prix.
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