The Australian Grand Prix - Qualifying Highlights Formula 1

that is what Ali G's says. I do not to let rip this season, that it

wasn't what we had in mind. Welcome to the 2012 season on the BBC. 20

races, six world champions on the grid, but only one David Coulthard.

Are you ready for this? I am more than ready for this, after what

seemed like an endless Winter of testing. I want to find out. This

is the first time we see them running or on low fuel, new tyres.

One thing we think we do know, after people tuned in last year and

saw Sebastian Vettel winning, the team behind us that don't look like

they have it all their own way? Regulations have been stable. They

have made some changes to the nose. The not very pretty. It is all to

do with the height of the nose. Everyone has had the chance to get

closer and understand the theories behind the dominant Red Bull Carte

of last year. If we have anything to judge from the practice sessions

here, it is closer. The motivation is to be Sebastian Vettel because

he has raised the bar. You'd did that in 2003, how much, then as did

it give you for the season ahead? was surprised because I was No. The

Lebanon the grid. Jenson Button had his first win for McLaren in the

same weather conditions. It gives you such a boost, it is the first

trip the teams may, down to Australia. It set to ups for what a

would hopefully be a Championship campaign. I know you like watching

yourself winning on the BBC Four star we will show you them all over

the course of the season. We don't know how the season will pan out.

But for the first race, all the drivers have turned up at Albert

Park hoping they can exceed theirs But there seems to be a Christian

Horner fan club. Are you a paid-up member? I am a big fan of all of

the team principals. Look how busy it is outside the Ferrari garage.

It is always a busy place to be. But let's have a look at Sebastian

Vettel in the final practice session because it was not going as

he wanted? We did see him have the odd slip usually on a Friday

practice session, but never on the Saturday. It did cost him some time.

When it comes to Ferrari, they are concerned over the way the car

looks and drives? They said in pre- season they don't mind if it is

ugly as long as it is quick. They have definitely got the ugly bits,

but are they issues they seem to have had? Can I get on top of it.

That was Massa losing the back end of the car. The drivers are phrased

-- fighting the car. Whenever they try to enter the corner, it turns

like it is a rally car. It's afternoon will tell us what the gap

is. It could be a very long season for Ferrari. Concerns about whether

we will go to Bahrain. At the moment it is on the calendar and we

are returning to the USA. For the first time Formula One will have to

Texas on 18th November. But you are no truly and Rubens Barrichello

have left the sport. We have a couple of rookies in their place

and a new line-up. The drivers and constructors champions are the ones

to beat. Day were dominant claiming 18 pole positions. But a Mark

Webber will have to be back to his best if he is to stop Sebastian

Vettel. McLaren are chasing their first drivers' title in four years,

their first constructor has been 14. If the car is up to this, Jenson

Button and Lewis Hamilton are serious title contenders. Fernando

Alonso once more heads the challenge this season with Filippo

Masser alongside him. Pre-season testing did not go well and it is

doubtful the team will get on to the podium this weekend. How well

they develop a better car is the key to Ferrari's year. Mercedes

were forced last year and retains their drivers. Michael Schumacher

is yet to achieve podium since his return but Nico Rosberg and himself

have confidence that the recruitment drive will pay off soon.

Kimi Raikkonen is back and makes it six or World Championships on the

grid. That team missed the second Test with a chassis problem. Also

back in a Renault car is Romain Grosjean. Force India stated goals

to finished 5th in the world constructors Championship. Paul di

Resta enters a second gear at the top level. Kamui Kobayashi and

Perez had been retained. The car design and Ferrari power at Toro

Rosso create continuity, but it not with the drivers. Alguersuari and

Buemi have gone. Daniel Komen -- Daniel Ricardo and Jean-Eric Vergne.

Rubens Barrichello has been dropped for Bruno Senna. The team continues

restructuring behind the scenes. Green and yellow colours remain but

Team Lotus has entrusted Heikki Kovalainen and his joint by Petrov.

HRT manage no pre-season testing as their car failed the crash test.

They may be an experienced and young but the drivers are not.

Pedro de la Rosa made his debut at this race 13 years ago. His team

mate is Narain Karthikeyan. This crew will be relying on Timo Glock.

The drivers have a good view of the pit lane. It is getting quiet in

here. I am sure the new ones are feeling rather nervous. It is a big

day for them. You don't have the opportunity to have a rookie season,

you have to deliver. Formula One has developed, we have six world

champions on the grid. It tells you how brutal it is. A lot of pressure

on them today. We are walking past the Red Bull garage. Mark Webber

will be climbing into the car shortly. He is out of contract at

the end of the year, the same applies for Michael Schumacher and

Felipe Massa. In my 15 season I only had a multi-year contract once.

So you are very focused? different points in the middle of

the season you focus on the year ahead. But they will be thinking,

have I got the set up bright, what is the track temperature, they will

be focused to drive those cars as fast as possible. 24 men will be

focused for qualifying today and a quarter of the grid of former

Formula One champions. It is unique, we have never had that before. It

shows the longevity and safety standards of the drivers being

there. And also the rush they get. Kimi Raikkonen has come back to the

sport after a couple of years trying rallying because he missed

the sport. Jenson Button, fastest in first practice and has won here

before. But he goes into today not having picked up pole position in

everything we have ever done, you have been good at. And I have not.

Did you see me for off the jet ski. Yes. He is good, isn't he? That is

beautiful. I am sure there is something wrong with my cue.

don't think one team this year is going to have a massive advantage.

I think it is going to be closer. Because the regulations have

changed. I think it is exciting for the sport and will make the racing

good. People talk about drivers to build a team around him. Is it

genuine or is it a myth? It is genuine. The White is going to go

in isn't it? The people within a team like knowing you want to make

a difference and make your mark on that team. You don't just get in

the car and drive. It makes a massive difference. I have a good

understanding with my engineers, Dave and Tom. We go out for dinner,

we are good friends. That is brilliant, you have got to play the

rest of the game with the helmet on. I cannot see much. Your team may

lose Hamilton? He realises there is something important in the team you

have around him. Has he ever spoken to about that? No, he hasn't. It is

difficult to answer. Yes, you're a writer and Lewis Hamilton is right,

I do have great people around me. It took me a long time to get them

around me. It is not something you go out and choose. You don't

specifically choose who is hanging round. You just ring it would be

nice to see them at the race and experience this with me. You have

to be careful with it. You cannot purposely go out and pick and

choose people you think will make your life easier. You are thinking

about it too much, it should just finish, like the Canadian Grand

competitive! Well done. Jenson Button, you are the winner of

Jenson Button Paul tournament. nice in front of the world

Championship Trophy. Welcome to one of the busiest Paddocks in F1. I

thought what I would do is give Jenson that win. It is good for the

confidence. Not that he needs much confidence. He is so relaxed, he

has got confidence. He has won over McLaren. He knows this could be a

world championship number two. we are looking for this season is a

relaxed, confident World Championship number two perhaps for

Lewis Hamilton. Is his head in the right place for Formula One? He

would love a star like he had here in 2008. He won the race and the

championship that year. Lewis Hamilton looks focused and happy.

He has gone through the growing pains of being a sportsman in the

public eye and he has gone away and got focused and it will be

interesting to see what he delivers. We would love to see a smiling and

successful Lewis Hamilton. To explain to us the importance of

qualifying here because grid position is essential. This is a

semi- street circuit and it is a bit like Monte Carlo. Track

position is keen. There are two DRS positions. It is such a busy little

track. Qualifying today, every team knows they have to max out their

opportunity. The even without Eddie Jordan hair, you are OK, you are

ready? Yes. We just saw Lewis Hamilton making his way to the

garage, he looked focused. David should head to the commentary box

alongside our new commentator, Ben Edwards. No Formula One on the BBC

for the past 16 weeks. It is now time to officially welcomed the

2012 season under way. The green light is on. We are about to find

out, at last, just which of the teams have got their sums right

over the winter. He will end up on pole will position? I am relishing

the start of this season? It is fantastic. We say every year it

will potentially be the best season of Formula One. If you look at the

Ritz -- mix, the regulations have been stable, all of the teams have

been able to hone in on the secrets of Red Bull and it is by no means

certain if they have closed the gap. Look at that view across the whole

city of Melbourne. What a fantastic view. A beautiful city, resplendent

in the sunshine. Let's get some news from the pits and speak to

Gary Anderson. The teams have this choice of two compounds of tyres.

We gathered that the difference is not huge. Tell us more. Each driver

has three steps that the harder tyres and three sets of the softer

tyres. Only the two Marussias have gone out on the softer tyres at the

moment. There's a difference depending on how the car is set up.

The soft tyre is not as durable. It will be interesting to see who has

the confidence to get into the sock -- set -- top 17 or whether they

need to throw on a set of soft tyres. Lewis Hamilton at the first

turn doing the same as Sebastian Vettel. Will that damage the

underbody of the car? There's been a lot of rain here. Quite bumpy as

you turn in, he locked the front wheel. Hopefully no damage for

Lewis Hamilton. Kobayashi has just gone fastest. Hamilton is still

charging around. Button is third fastest. Senna is fourth, Webber is

5th. Another lock-up from Hamilton. He comes out of the final turn. We

saw a mistake at the start of the lap. Let's see what this is for

Hamilton. He goes second. 1:U 27.053. A fraction slower than the

Sauber. The replay we saw of Hamilton going wide in the first

turn was not on that lap, it was the previous lap. Otherwise you may

as well give him the pole position right now! Jenson getting wide on

the exit of turn 13. That will have affected his confidence as he runs

into 14. Then down to one of the slowest corners on the track. A lot

of pressure on the front left tyre as you go through the last turn.

The opening gambit for Jenson Button... Fastest. Well done. Mark

Webber stays 5th for the moment. Vettel is still in fourth place. We

have three sessions of qualifying as ever in F1 these days. We will

lose seven cars from this first session of qualifying. If you can

get into the top 17, you will be through to the next part of

qualifying. What has Sebastian Vettel been up to? HRT are in a lot

of trouble this weekend. You have to feel for them turning up with an

untested car. Michael Schumacher locking up and that is the corner

where he ended up in the gravel on the morning session. That is

interesting. There's a headwind at that point. That typically gives

you more support when you are braking. If this circuit is what we

call green at this stage. A lot of rain yesterday. They have had the

morning session to put down some Pirelli rubber and there will be

some big changes in-lap times. Schumacher is on a good lap. Button

is currently fastest. Alonso is a fastest. Vettel is behind. What

kind of lap is this? And reasonable. He is still in fifth place. Michael

Schumacher across the line, he goes into fourth place. But watching

practice, we thought there might be even more. Wobbling over the curves

as he tries really hard. He is still on the harder tyre.

amount of front end on that Mercedes, he clattered the kerb. A

lot of talk about the wings on his Mercedes car. They are somehow able

to gain even more top speed which allows them to carry more downforce.

You can physically see it. Mercedes are looking good as we are looking

at the track map. Rosberg is setting purple sectors, which means

he's quickest in the first and second sectors. Don't be surprised

to see Rosberg go fastest in the session. Let's keep an eye on

Hamilton. His personal best in the first sector, but the second factor

is nothing special. I'm not sure he will improve. He does! He goes

fastest by a fraction. But Rosberg beats him straight away. Just for a

moment or Hamilton had top spot, but now it is Rosberg in the

Mercedes on the top spot for the moment. That was the moment

Schumacher turned in. Look at the skid plates hitting the road.

of flecks in the front wing. That is a mistake by Michael. I can't

imagine he would want to hit fat inside kerb. A good recovery from

him. A lot of oversteer from Vettel. That would have been opening their

Diarrar surly. In fact there was no DRS at that point. The hard tyres

followed by a two McLarens. Sauber still up there with Kobayashi. Some

teams are using the harder tyre. A white stripe on Hamilton's tyre.

lot of traffic, how much time? are currently P2 in the time sheets.

Less than half the 10th of the fastest. Asking how much time left

in the session. He feels he has not delivered his best lap time on the

harder tyres the top but it doesn't matter at the moment as though you

have to do is get through to the next round of qualifying. Somebody

who is not at the moment is Felipe Massa in the zone that would see

him not through to the second round of qualifying. He is in 19th place

at the moment and that is a big worry for Ferrari. They will surely

have to send him out on a soft tyre. A unquestionably. If they don't

they are either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid, and I don't

think they are stupid! Hamilton being pushed back in. He is still

in second place. Rosberg is top man at the moment. Vettel, the eight

fastest. Mark Webber is 10th. It doesn't look like the sort of

dominant form that gave Red Bull 18 pole positions out of 19 races last

year. Let's find out for sure and watch Mark Webber as he comes on to

a lap. Using every inch of the road that he possibly can. He moves up

to sixth quickest. But it is not like he is challenging the top

times. He is on a harder tyre, but so is Hamilton. What we don't know

at this stage, these top teams should comfortably go through the

first part of qualifying, they are restricted with the number of

engines they have. You can't run the engine at maximum mode at every

point during the Grand Prix. They may well have a little bit in

reserve and the same will apply for Mercedes and all of the top teams.

One thing that is quite clear, if I was Massa in 19th place, I would be

putting on the faster option tyre and I would call for maximum engine

note because you don't want to start your season dropping out of

the first part of qualifying. have not seen much of the Force

Indias yet. De la Rosa has not set a time as such. Hulkenberg out on

track as well. We have won second covering the top 12 at the moment.

That is good and competitive. At the moment it is Rosberg, Hamilton,

Button, Kobayashi, Schumacher, Webber, Senna, Alonso, Vettel,

Maldonado. Just a back-up power competitive that is, last year in

qualifying the fourth place man, Button, was 1.2 seconds behind pole

position. You have the second covering the top 12 and that is a

good indication that things have tightened up. Looking at the bottom

end of the list, the seven cars that might not make it. Kovalainen,

massive, Petrov, Glock, Charles Pic, de la Rosa and Carter came. --

Karthikeyan. They may not get a race at all. Riding on board with

Paul di Resta in the Force India. Currently 17th quickest. What is he

up to? He is building his lap. He has got through the first part of

the lap. Turn five should be absolutely flat. This is a really

tricky corner as he drops down under the trees. He loses

visibility slightly. And then a long run through Turner eight.

is on the yellow tyre. On the softer tyre he has done a

reasonable first sector, but you would expect him to be right there

now. It is an indication that Force India are struggling. They showed

reasonable pace in the damp, but the dry running we have seen, they

seem to have dropped back. Felipe Massa has taken the sensible option

and gone out on the yellow tie us. Ferrari are using up a set of those

faster tyres to make sure he can get through. He made his debut in

F1 here last year and ended up getting a point out of it. A great

debut for Paul di Resta. He went a bit sideways through the final turn.

Let's see whether he can move up the order. He does, up to 11th

place. That gets him safely through to the second part of qualifying,

but we still have a couple of minutes to go and things will

change. He has some quick cars behind him. I'm not sure if that

means he is completely safe. Just over two minutes left of this

qualifying session. Currently we have Massa and Kovalainen as the

but has moved himself up to 6th. It was a good lap by the young

Australian. You are riding with him now. You can see his lap of Delta,

the digits on the right Tyneside. He is an one-tenth slower. I was

trying to pick up on Massa earlier. He has done a green sector. It is

Vergne who has gone suck -- faster. The young Frenchman making his

debut. Surely he has got to get the Ferrari into Q2. You can see how

hard he is trying. Looking to move out of the bottom seven. He looks

as though the two HRT cars are not with about 15 seconds to go, so he

has another lap. But he will have to go past the HRT, Michael

Schumacher or did successfully do that. Kimi Raikkonen has mistimed

it. It looked as though he was getting ready for a laugh but he

had a chequered flag and he won't get through to the second part of

qualifying and he is out. On the harbour Towers, he went wide in the

chicane. Through the fastest corner on the track, he got a wide and he

is out in his first qualifying session. Let's see what Romain

Grosjean does, his team-mate. He is 14th, trying to improve that to

make himself safer. Third-fastest a Romain Grosjean. What an effort

from the young Frenchman. Di Resta is still not that safe. Petrov,

trying to get through. Kovalainen is trying to pull something special

out of the bag. Really trying hard. This guy finished third in

Melbourne last year when he was driving four Lotus Renault.

Although this team have made some good strides over the winter I

think it will be asking too much for him to get into the next part

of qualifying. A lot of oversteer in the car in the last part of the

lap. You can imagine how depressing it is when you know it is

qualifying Andy no unique to qualify. The first big-name is

Michael Schumacher in 4th place. Behind him, Sergio Perez. It is a

topsy-turvy qualifying sessions. So it means the next two part of

qualifying will be fantastic. But Kimi Raikkonen is out. Both HRT

cards have not made it. They are outside the 107% qualifying rules

so they may not be allowed to raise. Three unusual names topping the

time sheets. And if you would Champions getting involved. One of

them is Kimi Raikkonen. Can I ask you, your thoughts are back in

Formula One? The what do I think? It has been quite a mess this whole

week. I ran wide in one of the corners. I didn't have time to do

another lap. If we look at the positives, at least the car showed

some decent pace for your team mate, so you know something is there.

desperately keen to talk at the moment and moderate team to Formula

One he was looking for. Who will make it into the top 10 shoot-outs?

Back to our commentators. The second qualifying session gets

under way. Bull in the Force India is soon out on to the circuit.

were hearing from Gary, down in the pit lane some other drivers have

gone out on used option tyres to explore the circuit will stop

Sebastian Vettel, had a brand new set. And they are all getting on

with it. This track is evolving. They are not wasting any time. Not

like some of the sessions a where they sit in the garage waiting for

someone to put down a marker. the track is getting quicker. It is

changing and they have to keep up with that as we watch Bruno Senna.

All on used options. These tyres are hanging in there and giving

them some performance to go out and get themselves buried into the

circuit. What options are we talking about? The softer of the

tyres. We were told earlier, that Lewis Hamilton was tipped up for

pole position. Whether there is some inside information. At the

moment that we are in Q2. It all gets trickier now. Massa was in the

drop zone. 11 and 12, very fast corners. Di Resta giving hit cities

all. Looking to establish himself in Formula One after an excellent

debut season last year. But he does have some tough competition in that

camp with that Niko Hulkenberg in the team. Great rivals or within

the force India team as di Resta heads out of the final corner and

ready to cross the line. He has set the pace at 1:27, and Force India

look as though they have a bit of work to do. Sebastian Vettel

looking quick. Let's see what Bruno Senna did a moment ago. Just went

too deep. A good recovery, though. That is where we saw Michael

Schumacher at the beginning of the session go into the gravel. Noel

ABSA on these cars say you have to get the wheel spinning again to

gain as much traction. I doubt he will have damaged the tyre. -- AGS.

It in looks like the double world champion is strong in the second

part of qualifying. Let's look at the Red Bull. This will be fast by

Sebastian Vettel. He does 1:25 points up 98 to. He is getting

quicker. Hamilton on the soft tyre as well. In to a tricky part of a

lap. Alonso in the gravel. He is out. It is not the first time we

have seen at Ferrari in the gravel. So, drama indeed. Alonso is third-

fastest at the moment but we will see a lot of improvements before

the end of this session. Let's see the lap time for Lewis Hamilton. He

goes quicker than Sebastian Vettel. The gap between them is the three

tenths of a second. Alonso has gone a long way into the gravel. The

Ferrari seems unstable at the rear. Running down to turn one, we had

Massa into the gravel on previous sessions and there is something

fundamental with that car. In McLaren we had a car that could not

raise. It felt as she turned into the corner it drifted slightly. It

did not give you confidence because you did not feel on top of the car.

One of the questions is about the other Ferrari, can Felipe Massa or

pull something out of the bag? He is on softer tyres. He is quickly

on to the circuit as Ferrari try and work out what they need to do

to make this cargo fast. As he came out of the first term, he spun the

tyres. Then he was weaving into the braking zone. Having issues getting

the tyres to switch on. Let us watch him on the rest of the slack.

He is weaving around. If you contrast that to the lap of Bruno

Senna earlier in the Williams he was coasting round, have Ferrari

got issues getting heat in the Tower's -- tyres. Massa does not

seem to have much luck in Melbourne. He's never qualified better than

force. Have one podium finish. RADIO: at work it on the front like

you did last time. What is that about? It is easy to get your rear

tyres up to temperature. You can spin them up and put a lot of heat

into the surface. Front tyres you rely on the actual load. You are

relying on heat in the breaks which radiates into the wheel and puts

heat into the tyre and it brings and the pressure up. We will see if

it works for Felipe Massa. He is getting those tyres up to

temperature. He is on his flying lap now. Let's keep an eye on the

split times as well. It is so hard to get the car to track through the

corner neatly. Going up towards the first checkpoint. Personal best but

he his six tenths of a second a quickly behind Felipe Massa, who

runs out a wide. Flat out through the next section and heavy breaking

into turn 13. The other Mercedes of Rosberg also won a good laugh.

While Ferrari are struggling, Mercedes looked in good form?

of the talking point about Mercedes is the ingenious device to help

stall the front and rear wing beyond the use of the DRS, which

enable them to shed off more drag along the straight. It allows them

to run more downforce. Rosberg goes fastest and it is working. Michael

Schumacher, big oversteer. Will he go faster than his team-mate? CROWD

GROANS in the Lotus, the French driver who drove for Renault

alongside Alonso a few years ago. Wonder GP to Championship when he

went back. Won it last year in good style and has been given another

chance in Formula One by Lotus. The team that was formerly rhino.

Changing of names going on this year. He went a very wide on to the

artificial grass. It could potentially do some damage Act to

the carbon bodywork of the car. Grosjean has been given this second

chance after the management company he has are involved with the owners

of Lotus. He is ideally positioned. But he deserved it having won the

GP two Championship. But his more experienced team mate, is not out

there setting the pace for the team, he is. In the drop zone at the

moment and we have several. Let's see what Mark Webber has done.

obviously realises he was carrying too much speed and got out in the

dust and the marbles and then making sure you do the least amount

of damage to the car trying to get it back on to the artificial grass.

It was Massa who started with the artificial grass. They will be some

track repairs done after this session. In the drop zone we have

Bruno Senna and also Maldonado. And also Jean-Eric Vergne who was quick

in first qualifying. We are looking at Daniel Ricardo, he is currently

9th fastest. Who will be in the top 10? It is the top 10 shoot-out to

get into the final part of qualifying. Top 10 or you are out.

At the moment this is Ricciardo, just inside it, but knowing other

cars behind are likely to improve. He has got to improve himself. His

time is not looking it is going to be any better as he crosses the

line. He stays 9th and that is danger territorial. But his first

out sewing with Toro Rosso, it is a two I would expect to go through.

Mark Webber is on a lap. He is currently seven fastest. At the

any change for Webber... No change. He stays in seventh place, just

over a minute to go. While he has been doing this lap, Maldonado has

gone purple in the first sector. I was giving it large for Sauber

thinking they might go through, but if he can complete the rest of this

flat, Williams Renault might have a shot of making the top 10. What a

turnaround that is from last year, and miserable season last year for

Williams. But he has gone too deep. Now he just has the final corner to

deal with. Scrappy on the last bit of the lap. He is up to seventh

place! Wow! Williams are on a comeback. Great news for them.

Renault engine power this year as well. Grosjean is in fifth place.

Two Mercedes at the top of the pile. It is the Saubers we have to watch.

We are on board with Kobayashi. A moment in the middle of the high-

speed chicane, but kept it tidy on the exit. Only six were be aware --

only six hundredths away from what he needs to get into the top 10.

Jean-Eric Vergne is also on a lap and going pretty well. A fantastic

battle to get into the top 10. This is what we expected. We knew the

midfield would be tight. Massa is still not going to make it in the

Ferrari at the moment and he is in the pits. It is not quite there.

Kobayashi doesn't do it. Jean-Eric Vergne is the 11th. He just misses

out. What about Paul di Resta? No. No change. He is in 15th plays.

Daniel Ricciardo has made it through in the Toro Rosso, but

Ferrari have failed to get either cart into the top 10. We knew they

were in trouble, but that is still a startling result.

No Ferrari in the top 10. Behind me, a rather despondent looking Paul di

Resta. First time we have spoken this season, I wish it was in

happier circumstances. 15th on the grid, why is that? Disappointing.

I've not had the easiest day, an issue this morning. Our out-lap was

compromised a bit by traffic and we didn't get the tyres within working

range. It looked like the car was reasonably strong. Nico is up there.

Unfortunately not got the best out of it. But the long run this

morning seemed positive. For the rest are not into the final part of

qualifying, same goes for the Ferraris. We will get the final

confirmation on how the power grid lines up after the final part of

qualifying. Q3 gets under way and we are in for

an absolutely tremendous battle. We have got Red Bull against McLaren

against Mercedes, definitely. Perhaps even Lotus with Grosjean,

who has been putting in some stunning Times, especially

considering his lack of experience at the album part circuit. Grosjean

could be one to watch. First car out on the circuit in the circuit -

- third segment of qualifying is Nico Rosberg. Get a double boost

from the KERS. DRS right now. He gets a reset of the KERS that

allows him to have 6.7 seconds available during this qualifying

lap. That looked pretty good. He ran the edge of the kerb. He is

committed. That is what the battle is all about. Starting up front for

the Australian Grand Prix. Can Rosberg keep the smoothness he

needs and the speed? His dad was the winner of the first ever

Australian Grand Prix -- World Championship Grand Prix in Adelaide

in 1995. Can we go back that up with a pole position, his first

ever pole position? We still have to see what the likes of Vettel can

do, Hamilton and Button are on the pace. I think he is looking mighty.

and tidy. We will get an update on the rest of the lap as he goes into

the last part. Let's see whether he figures... Very wide! He would have

had to lifted out of it. They are on old tyres at this stage so

there's more performance to come. I would expect a new set of tyres and

then deliver the back -- the black. is a very fast lap indeed. Now

Button goes second fastest. What can Schumacher do? He splits the

McLarens. Vettel on a lap as well. He is into the final sector. Having

to work the steering a little bit more than you might have expected.

Grosjean has just come around in fourth place. This will not put

Vettel fastest. If second! He is some little way off what Hamilton

has done. Seven-tenths of a second slower than Lewis Hamilton. Out

comes Mark Webber on news of tyres. There's one thing we can say. It

was a hustling lap. It was a pretty tidy lap. That makes Hamilton's lap

incredible. Seven-tenths quicker. Remarkable. Looking very, very good.

Firsts sector for Hamilton was particularly strong. Mercedes

looking to see whether they can really challenge for pole position.

Schumacher it is currently third quickest of Bob Hamilton is fastest

already, will we see him shoot back He has been on pole position before

here, in 2008. He qualified fourth on his debut at this circuit in

2007 and he was the only man to beat Red Bull in qualifying last

here at all, in Korea. Can he do it again? They have got to stun the

four minutes to find out. Interesting strategy from Webber.

He is out of sequence. If he is going to do another run, he will

have to do a quick turnaround. Jenson Button, likewise. Mark

Webber looks like he is going to use up the remaining part of this

session. That's right. Webber may only get one run, perhaps. The

yellow stripe on those tyres, all of the teams will be using those

tyres now, they are the softer tyres giving more performance.

Let's watch the braking. So crucial. Wiping off 85 mph in a second. He

did it pretty well. Beautiful opener to the lap. You can almost

sense the crowd willing on Mark Webber. His best result his fifth

place around Albert Park. He has gone early. He has got a beautiful

clean piece of racetrack. Only me - - only one other car, Ricky Ardo,

on the track. -- Ricciardo. He has never done better than fifth place

not going to be a pole position challenge in-lap from Mark Webber.

There's no way he can make up half a second. But Hamilton does have a

seven-tenths advantage over everybody else. But Mark could

still go second quickest. Into the final corner... That was good. He

has got quite a long drag down to the line to see this where this

puts him. Second! He might not be as quick as Hamilton, but he has

gone quicker than everybody else so far. That endorse is how strong

that lap was from Lewis Hamilton. - - endorses. Considerably quicker

than what we have seen from Button at this stage. Only a minute and a

half left. All of the cars are on track. Mark Webber retiring to the

pits. He won't have time to come back out. That's his run over for

this part of the weekend. Everybody else trying to time it. They are on

pretty much the same part of the lap. They want to be last across

the line before the chequered flag comes out. The way the track

evolves, the quickest this circuit will be will be on the last circuit.

You want as many cars as possible running in front of you. Hamilton

building his lap. Coming down 3D is in the high-speed chicane. That

will not be the case when he opens his race properly. He much have so

much confidence in the car at the moment. Time to find is in the

middle sector. Your fastest in the first and last sector, a little bit

of time to find in the middle sector. That is what I love about

Formula One. You on provisional pole position and you can still

find more. Rosberg is now pushing very hard indeed in the other

Mercedes. But he locked the right front! Just about got away with it.

I thought he would have done some damage to the tyre, but it looks

like he got away with it. Vettel just get across the line with nine

seconds to go. His timing was absolutely perfect. Look at the

speed of that Mercedes through turn six. His sector it are not good

enough although it Michael Schumacher is closer to Hamilton's

time in the first sector than Rosberg. Button has gone purple in

the first sector. A big response from Jenson Button in the other

McLaren. Hamilton will be challenged. He has literally gone

purple. The time comes up as purple on our screen. This looks like

Lewis Hamilton has lost the Michael Schumacher. The middle

sector was not so good. He did a really good first sector. Pretty

good. I'm not sure it will be enough. The battle between Rosberg

and Michael Schumacher is intriguing. He goes second! Rosberg

out-qualified him most times last year. Grosjean goes second! Button

now goes second. It keeps changing. Hamilton still on top. Button

second and grows on third. Hamilton has come in. What will Vettel do?

Across the line he goes and he stays in sixth place. It looks like

Lewis Hamilton has taken pole position for the first race of the

season. His second pole position at Melbourne, the 5th McLaren pole

position at Melbourne, their 10th in Australia. A 20th career pole

position baptise Lewis Hamilton with Alonso. All McLaren front row

as well. That hasn't happened for a good few years. Thoroughly

impressive performers. You had a few with a Mika Hakkinen in your

time. I think we have to go back to 1999. That was an incredible

performance from Lewis Hamilton. Jenson Button... Just under a tenth

behind him. The two McLaren boys pretty evenly matched. Ron Dennis

with a satisfied look on his face. This is the sort of start McLaren

needed. Thank you, guys. I lost a tenth at the end of the back

straight into the corner. Good job by everyone, great to be on the

front right. Let's take a look at But what a great start from the

Frenchman, Romain Grosjean, driving for Lotus who has qualified third.

What a performance. Red Bull are on just about perfect.

What a first qualifying session. I would be surprised if you have any

energy left? It was incredible. Six different teams represented in the

Top Ten final shoot-out. What an impressive drive from both the

McLaren drivers. What a way to start the season for both yourself

and the team? An incredible job by the team. Not only did they built

the best-looking car, but also the fastest car so far. It is just

perfect. The lap was beautiful, flowing and the tyres worked

perfectly. It felt incredible. have had a good winter and it is

the first time for three years since I had been with the team. It

shows what a difference it can make. If you know where you are over the

winter and your reliability is good, you can work on the car and improve

it and get it into a good position for the first race. It is very

special for the team. Two happy drivers and a happy team. McLaren

starting in fine style. You know what to do is like to be on pole

position, what is your reaction? Opening a lap, gives you so much

confident. He was as sweet as you like. Then the first big challenge

is spotting your breaking point. Fantastic with traction. Absolutely

flat as they shift up. Impressive. Down underneath the trees which

affects his side to a little bit. Then the next big challenge in the

lap, and this is where he was losing time is in his middle sector.

A bit of a bump into the chicane. This high-speed chicane catching

out a lot of drivers today? It has been, not only it is the fastest

left, you back it up with a mighty right. By this point he would have

seen he was up on his previous best lap. His confident would have been

growing. He was the first one to go out and put in the big black in

qualifying. -- lap. Not too much a wheel spin and nice and tight in

the apex. Beautiful piece of driving. This is Felipe Massa. How

hard to drive does this look to you? It does not create any

confidence in the rear end for the drivers. Mrs the apex, it has no

traction. This car is not just struggling aerodynamically, it is

struggling mechanically to book the rubber on the road. Let's hear from

Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. Fernando, tell us what happened?

think I touched the grass. I have seen the replay. I did spin, so

there is the gravel and you stop and filling -- finish your

qualifying. At the moment we are not quick enough and we need to

change the situation quickly. If we want to win the Championship at the

end. Can you tell us how difficult the car is to drive because it look

tricky at times? I was fighting a lot against the car. To put a lap

together is very difficult. Always fighting to find good balance.

evidence this car is better over long runs? We hope.

I bet they do. They said they are working for next week and knock

this week, so it is clear how he is feeling? Massive disappointment.

One thing to know you have issues, but come and get the reality of

what a mountain they have to climb. Both drivers were very frank. Massa

will be more disappointed there is still a gap between him and Alonso.

What about Red Bull, how much head- scratching? Ferrari won't be happy,

but Red Bull being 5th and 6th there will be despondent because

they have been used to picking a pole position? It was inevitable

this incredible rise they have had in Formula One, the bubble would

burst at a certain point. People like McLaren, as ladies and these

teams they have winning DNA, they have been doing it for generations.

This will be a big debrief for Red Bull, they put in lots of hours

when they were winning, but they will be putting in more hours in

the first part of qualifying. But there is a gap in performance

between their car and McLaren's. We need to know how both the driver's

field. We can now listen to Mark Webber.

Tell us how you are feeling it is not the qualifying you used to from

Red Bull? That is right, we knew there were some quick guys out

there particularly from McLaren. It is Formula One. I did not have KERS.

The pace at the front it was not overly surprising, when I saw Lewis

Hamilton laying down that time. will be a different view for you

starting from six, last year you are starting further up. Does it

change your approach to things? really. I never allowed myself to

get used to starting at the front. It was always something special.

Now we are not starting at the front. We are not starting at the

back either so it is not disastrous. I am looking forward to the race.

Hoping to get past a couple of people. Won't it be interesting

seeing Sebastian Vettel battled back from a couple of places on the

grid and already lacking a bit of pace and reliability issues as

well? Also KERS raising its ugly head? People were asking is he a

racer? Now we will find out. Both the drivers' looked as though they

felt it reasonably happy with their overall performance and not

surprise McLaren was so strong. Mark Webber had no KERS, which

seems to be an ongoing issue for Red Bull. That would have cost him

about three tenths of a second. In terms of upgrades it is achievable.

What do you think Michael Schumacher's lips will be doing? He

will be stocking on the second row of the grid.

Michael, 4th place, you must be happy with that? Indeed, yes. It

has been pretty pleasant all weekend. The car handled very well.

As predicted. We are grateful we did a reasonable job because the

guys they did tremendous work in the factory. It was a big push and

definitely we have gone forward. It is what we wanted to achieve and so

far we have. I am sure down the road they are happy at Lotus

because Romain Grosjean, third on the grid for the Grand Prix. The

second row of the grid, you cannot wipe the smile from your face?

Everybody in the factory is working very hard. The atmosphere is

fantastic and I am very proud to be here. It is a great day. Tomorrow

will be a more fantastic day as well. Level with us, we knew the

car was quick, did you think it was that quick? I knew it was quick. I

knew it I would have to do my best to get the best out of it. When I

saw my last lap, it was pretty good and the team said it will be

interesting. Will you be passed to Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button

before the first turn or turn number three? To do it at the first

term would be fantastic and a fantastic way to start the race. I

will get the best out of everything I can. We are delighted for you.

I'm sure there will be champagne at Lotus, but not too much because you

have a lot of work to do tomorrow. Well he hangs out with his team, we

can look at how the great shapes up. It makes happy reading to the man

to my left. It is the first front row rock out for McLaren since the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 75 seconds

is a big day for him. He had a few races before for the team, took

time out. A bit like Kimi Raikkonen, took some time out and came back.

But it has worked and for him. question is, how do you get to the

grand prix finish faster than any car around two? Gary can talk us

through it. What is the perfect plan? Strategy will be difficult.

We have had a lot of rain and it washes over the rubble of the track.

It will be halfway through the race before it gets OK for the tyres. In

my summation of we are looking at a three-star race been the best. --

three stop race. In 2011 it was won by a two stop strategy. But it

means the tyres are better than last year. Although lap times and

not as good, tyres are more durable and that means the race time will

be better. Make sure you join us for the

action tomorrow. That's not all from Formula One on the BBC Today.

We return tomorrow. Extended highlights of the first race of

2012. The Australian Grand Prix at 2pm on BBC One.

Smiles from Romain Grosjean, Michael Schumacher will be happy,