F1 LIVE | The 2022 Australian Grand Prix reactions

Live coverage of the Australian Grand Prix

In Saturday's qualifying session, it was Charles Leclerc's second time this year that he managed to secure pole position from Max Verstappen. The Dutchman had to settle for second place, while Sergio Perez will start the race from third - although a grid penalty hung over the Mexican's head for a while.

Despite pole position, the starting position for Ferrari is not quite ideal. Carlos Sainz, in fact, did not get further than the ninth starting position, because after the red flag in Q3, his car could not be restarted as quickly and therefore he could not warm up his tires. A major setback for the Spaniard, who is also clearly angry about the incident.

The big battle in the midfield

Not only will the front of the field be exciting for the Australian Grand Prix, the midfield also looks set to have some great battles. McLaren, in fact, seems to have suddenly found a whole lot of speed, allowing them to challenge Mercedes this weekend.

And then there's Alpine. During qualifying, Fernando Alonso was on his way to an absolute top time, until his engine suddenly stopped. If the team can improve its reliability, it might be able to fight for a high spot in the standings. So anything can happen today in Melbourne!