GP Australia 2014, Qualifying: Hamilton wins the Pole Position

Lewis Hamilton took Pole Position at the 2014 Australian Grand Prix after a battle with Ricciardo and teammate Rosberg. The two finished the session in second and third place respectively. Fifth was Alonso who couldn't keep up with the pace of the first three. Lotus got off to a bad start and started from the back of the grid.

Once Q1 began, all the drivers except Vettel took to the track, given the approach of rain. The best time went to Ricciardo, 1:30.775 on Soft tyres. Maldonado failed to set a timed lap. Eliminated: Chilton, Bianchi, Gutierrez, Ericsson, Grosjean and Maldonado. Start of the season to be canceled for the two Lotus.

Q2 off and everyone on track with intermediate tyres. First lap by Bottas in 1:47.881 immediately beaten by Massa and then Rosberg. The times improved up to Rosberg's best time, 1:42.264 followed by Ricciardo, Alonso and Hamilton. In the final accident for Raikkonen who crashed into the barriers. Disappointment also at Red Bull for Vettel who failed to access Q3 and ended up in twelfth position. According to Horner's latest statements, the German's high times were caused by a drop in engine power. Eliminated: Button, Raikkonen, Vettel, Sutil, Kobayashi and Pèrez.

In Q3 everyone took to the track with full wet tires except Alonso who decided to mount intermediates. Rosberg's first time, 1:45.550. The rest was a succession of fast laps with Rosberg, Hamilton and Ricciardo fighting for Pole Position. The winning leap was from Hamilton who set a lap of 1:44.231. Alonso was only fifth and was unable to fight with the leaders. The Spaniard finished one second and six tenths away from the top.

Worth noting are the excellent performances of Kvyat and Magnussen, both of whom qualified in Q3. They will start eighth and fourth respectively. However, they will be penalized 5 positions on the grid for the Bottas and Gutierrez gearbox replacement.

2014 Australian GP Qualifying Times

Gianluca Latina