With the first qualifying session of the season now in the books - and Mercedes having dominated the field with huge margins over the rest of the pack - it is time for the real action to begin in Melbourne with the first of 24 Grands Prix that will take the championship all the way to December.

Starting from pole will be George Russell, who outpaced his team-mate with a 1:18.518 lap - a margin of three tenths. What stands out even more, however, is the gap to the first non-Mercedes-powered car, with Isack Hadjar putting the RB22 third on the grid. While it was an impressive performance in his first qualifying session for Red Bull, the Frenchman still finished nearly eight tenths off the pace. Charles Leclerc posted a very similar time, ending up just behind Hadjar to complete the second row, while the two McLarens will lock out the third row, with the home favourite starting ahead of the reigning world champion.

It was a qualifying session to forget for Max Verstappen, who was eliminated in Q1 after a strange crash at Turn 1 that brought his session to an early end. The Dutchman also suffered a scare in the incident, hitting the barriers before being taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks.

After two days of dry running, the weather is also unlikely to play a major role on race day in Melbourne, meaning teams should not have to factor rain into their strategy calculations.

Sunday is expected to be the warmest day of the weekend, with temperatures forecast to reach around 25°C. Conditions should remain partly cloudy, much like in the previous two days, while the chance of rain stands at just five per cent. Winds are expected to blow at around 10 to 15 kph.