Australian GP final practice and qualifying
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By: Geoff Creighton
Summary
Status: Stopped
Here's our full report of the first qualifying session of F1 2018 - an outstanding pole for Hamilton and a big crash for Bottas. Can the Ferraris and Verstappen do anything about the leading Mercedes? Join us again tomorrow to find out. 
Haas will be delighted to confirm its strong pre-season form by qualifying best-of-the-rest here - and that means a lockout of row three thanks to Ricciardo's grid penalty and that Bottas crash.
Former team-mate Nico Rosberg reckons that was a particularly special effort from Hamilton to get pole - and he should know!
"Yesterday I wasn't happy, but it just kept coming today," says Vettel, who feels he over-reached a bit in Turn 13 in Q3.
"I think it was a really decent job," says Raikkonen, who is struggling with a bit of a cough in this post-session interview.
"You would think it had become the norm with all the success we've had these last years, but it's still just as intense. My heart is racing. I'm always striving for perfection and that was as close as I could get today." Hamilton looks pumped after that mega pole lap.
Verstappen says he "lost the rear" on his lap, so probably could have been on the front row with a slightly tidier run.
Full grid: 1 Hamilton; 2 Raikkonen; 3 Vettel; 4 Verstappen; 5 Magnussen; 6 Grosjean; 7 Hulkenberg, 8 Ricciardo; 9 Sainz; 10 Bottas; 11 Alonso; 12 Vandoorne; 13 Perez; 14 Stroll; 15 Ocon; 16 Hartley; 17 Ericsson; 18 Leclerc; 19 Sirotkin; 20 Gasly
Front pack gaps: 1 Hamilton; 2 Raikkonen +0.664s; 3 Vettel +0.674s; 4 Verstappen +0.715s; 5 Ricciardo +0.988s.
That's a crushing pole lap from Hamilton - the Mercedes "party mode" clearly working sweetly in Q3. Ferrari simply had no answer.
Q3 result: 1 Hamilton; 2 Raikkonen, 3 Vettel, 4 Verstappen, 5 Ricciardo, 6 Magnussen, 7 Grosjean, 8 Hulkenberg, 9 Sainz, 10 Bottas
Hamilton is still two tenths clear of Verstappen and Raikkonen, Vettel is within half a tenth of him.
Hamilton makes a big improvement in sector one - he's 0.3s clear of Verstappen and Raikkonen's efforts there already.
First to make their final (well, only) runs will be the Renault/Haas quartet fighting for the lower top 10 places - though with Bottas shunted and Ricciardo penalised, one of them has a shot at fifth here.
Time for the midfield pre-show as the Renaults and Haas drivers head out for their solitary runs in Q3.
With little more than three minutes to go, it won't be long before everyone surges out again to have another crack at this three-team pole battle.
Incredibly tight with just over three tenths covering the top five after those initial runs. More time to come from Hamilton certainly - he was very wild through the final sector.
Order after first runs: 1 Hamilton; 2 Vettel +0.034s; 3 Verstappen +0.061s; 4 Raikkonen +0.200s; 5 Ricciardo +0.335s.
Vettel was quickest again in sector two but falls slightly shy in sector three - he goes second to Hamilton by just 0.034s slower!
Hamilton is the initial pacesetter in sector one on the first flying lap, but only by 0.021s over Verstappen.
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