Piastri faces uphill battle after Melbourne qualifying
Scott Bailey
Oscar Piastri must defy more than a decade of history to claim a home victory at the Australian Formula One grand prix, after qualifying fifth fastest behind pole sitter George Russell.
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.