Australian Grand Prix: Qualifying Recap

Q1 saw both Haas F1 drivers utilize three sets of Pirelli P Zero Red soft tires. Magnussen worked his way from a 1:21.243 to a 1:20.548 on his first set. The Dane’s fastest lap was a 1:20.254 (P17) on his second set of softs. The third and final run of the session was a sprint to the line following a red flag stop but Magnussen was unable to improve upon his earlier time – his qualifying efforts ending in Q1. Schumacher fared better advancing through to Q2 for the second time this season with a quick lap of 1:20.104 (P15) – coming on his second allotment of softs.

Joining the top 15 in Q2, Schumacher ran a scrubbed set of soft rubber to start. A switch to fresh tires delivered first a 1:20.585 followed by a 1:20.465 – the latter time placing the German 15th on the grid for the 58-lap race on Sunday.

Kevin Magnussen, Driver No. 20, Haas F1 Team

“It hasn’t really been our weekend so far – we haven’t found the sweet spot on this track. We’ve made some improvements but in qualifying it was a little bit messy with the red flag. I don’t think the result is representative of what the car can do in the race – there is more to come. We’re not starting in a great position so we’ll see what we can do but I’m optimistic that we’ve got a good car for the race.”

 

Mick Schumacher, Driver No. 47, Haas F1 Team

“Unfortunately, I ran into some traffic in the last sector with four or five cars in front of me which wasn’t too nice, but these things happen. We did the best we could and we had the right approach to this session. After a poor Friday we definitely managed to bring some pace back into the car. Hopefully we’ll be in a position to fight tomorrow as the car in the long run felt good and we were able to follow, so hopefully we can follow and pass.”

 

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team

“We’ve struggled the whole weekend a little bit and it went into qualifying. We couldn’t get the tires to work properly and had little problems left, right and centre but we tried to get the best out of it. Now, we need to get ready for tomorrow – our long run times were not bad yesterday – and that is what we’re trying to do at this point, to get points.”

 

Today's Data

Event: Qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix – Saturday April 9
Location: Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne
Layout: 5.279-kilometer (3.280-mile), 14-turn circuit
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Air Temps: 24 degrees Celsius (75.2 degrees Fahrenheit)
Track Temps: 31 degrees Celsius (87.8 degrees Fahrenheit)
Pole Winner: Charles Leclerc of Scuderia Ferrari (1:17.868) 
Result: Mick Schumacher qualified 15th, Kevin Magnussen qualified 17th 

Free Practice 3:

Schumacher: 14th overall (1:20.692), 17 laps completed
Magnussen: 17th overall (1:21.025), 14 laps completed
Fastest: Lando Norris of McLaren (1:19.117)

Q1 Qualifying: 18-mins with all 20 drivers – Top 15 advance to Q2

Schumacher: 15th overall (1:20.104) – Advances to Q2
Magnussen: 17th overall (1:20.254) 
Fastest: Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing (1:18.580) 

Q2 Qualifying: 15-mins – Top 10 advance to Q3

Schumacher: 15th overall (1:20.465)
Fastest: Sergio Perez of Red Bull Racing (1:18.340) 

Q3 Qualifying: 12-mins featuring the Top 10 

Pole Winner: Charles Leclerc of Scuderia Ferrari (1:17.868)