Mercedes lock out front-row, Piastri qualifies fifth
Oscar Piastri has qualified fifth for the Australian grand prix in Melbourne. -AAP Image
Oscar Piastri must defy more than a decade of history to claim victory at the Australian grand prix, qualifying fifth fastest behind pole sitter George Russell.
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In an at-times chaotic qualifying session, Russell's lap time of 1:18.518 led a front-row lockout for Mercedes, with young teammate Kimi Antonelli 0.293 seconds behind.
Isack Hadjar was third in the Red Bull and Charles Leclerc fourth in the Ferrari, before Piastri edged out his world-champion McLaren teammate Lando Norris for fifth.
Local-hope Piastri has been among the quickest at Albert Park this weekend, but Mercedes ultimately proved to have too much power when it counted on Saturday.
No driver has won the Australian grand prix in the past 12 years from outside the top three on the grid, with Kimi Raikkonen the last to do so for Ferrari in 2013, when he started in seventh spot.
Four-time world champion Max Verstappen had earlier crashed out in the first part of qualifying on Saturday, leaving him towards the rear of the grid.
The Red Bull star spun under braking before he even began to turn into the first corner of his opening qualifying lap, sending him nose-first into the barriers.
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