Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton secured pole position for the 2017 Formula 1 season opener in Australia, while Sebastian Vettel returned Ferrari to the front row of the grid.
Hamilton looked in command throughout Q3, leading after the first runs and improving further on his second attempt with a 1:22.188, the quickest ever lap of the Albert Park circuit and his sixth Australian Grand Prix pole.
Vettel found time on his final lap and moved up to second, missing out on pole by just 0.268 seconds, while Valtteri Bottas was third on his Mercedes debut, ahead of fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen.
Max Verstappen was fifth and the sole Red Bull driver to record a time in Q3, after home favourite Daniel Ricciardo crashed at Turn 14 and brought out the red flag with eight minutes to go. He finished at the foot of the top 10 as a result.
Romain Grosjean put in a strong lap to qualify sixth for Haas, ahead of Williams' Felipe Massa and the Toro Rosso duo of Carlos Sainz Jr. and Daniil Kvyat.
Gallery: Click here for the latest image from qualifying in Melbourne
Despite improving on his final run, Sergio Perez had to settle for 11th, less than one tenth off making it through to Q3, amid complaints of an engine glitch, while his former team-mate Nico Hulkenberg was knocked into the elimination zone in the final moments and was 12th for Renault.
Fernando Alonso was 13th for McLaren despite reporting “no power” during the session, with Force India's Esteban Ocon 14th, and Marcus Ericsson 15th for Sauber.
Debutant Antonio Giovinazzi, replacing the unfit Pascal Wehrlein at Sauber, looked on course to make it through to Q2 but he made a mistake on his final lap and failed to improve, falling into the drop-zone.
He finished 16th, just ahead of Haas driver Kevin Magnussen, who compromised his effort by running wide through the grass exiting Turn 12.
Stoffel Vandoorne’s running was interrupted by a fuel flow issue and his late lap was only good enough for 18th.
Lance Stroll’s start to Q1 was delayed by repairs from his FP3 crash. He has a five-place grid drop for a gearbox penalty, meaning he is set to start last, having managed only 19th, while Jolyon Palmer criticised his "terrible" Renault car as he finished at the foot of the time sheets.
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