Australian driver Oscar Piastri secures the first pole position of his Formula One career at the Chinese Grand Prix, with British driver George Russell finishing second.

Joined by George Russell of Mercedes, who completed his final qualifying lap in 1:30.723, Piastri and Russell will start on the front row for Sunday’s race.

Lando Norris, who led the championship after winning the season opener in Australia, ended his qualifying attempt and will start third, with Max Verstappen of Red Bull following in fourth place.

Lewis Hamilton secured fifth place for Ferrari after taking part in and winning the previous sprint race, while his teammate Charles Leclerc was sixth.

“The laps were a little bit scruffy, but I’m just pumped to be on pole,” Piastri stated, who secured a spot on the front row at the Australian Grand Prix but finished ninth due to an off-track spin.

Piastri, the first Australian to secure a pole since Daniel Ricciardo in 2018, finished second in the sprint race and is now in a strong position for potential points on Sunday.

“It’s awesome to have Oscar take his first pole. He’s been close many times, with several front-row starts,” praised McLaren CEO Zak Brown.

Norris congratulated Piastri, stating that he was much happier with his car after struggling to finish eighth in the sprint race.

Russell of Mercedes said that he had difficulty getting the tires to work properly during the qualifying session but managed an impressive final lap.

Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls qualified seventh, following a challenging debut in Melbourne, with Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli in eighth and Racing Bulls’ Yuki Tsunoda securing ninth place.

Alex Albon of Williams completed the top ten qualifiers, while Sergio Perez’s replacement Liam Lawson had a poor qualifying session and will start last.

“I need to get a handle on it. It’s a matter of time, but unfortunately, I don’t have much of it,” Lawson admitted, expressing the need to improve.

Red Bull’s Christian Horner said his team would analyze the situation and aim to give Lawson the best car possible for the race.

Australian Jack Doohan received penalty points for a collision during the sprint race and will start 18th with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly starting 16th.