Norris took pole by three tenths. He lost two of them before Turn 4.

McLaren's qualifying advantage in Melbourne existed in one place only — and Red Bull will have watched very carefully.

Lando Norris qualified on pole in Melbourne, three and a half tenths faster than Max Verstappen. Through the first two sectors, he was slower.

That gap — all of it — came from six corners.

Key Finding

Norris was slower than Verstappen through two-thirds of the lap. Then he found 0.36 seconds in Sector 3.

Where the lap was won and lost

NOR vs VER — sector-by-sector breakdown

The green bar on the right is Sector 3 — Norris found more than a tenth in S1 and another tenth in S2, but S3 is where he built the entire margin.

▲ NOR faster▼ VER faster

S1: +0.105s · S2: -0.082s · S3: +0.362s

Key Finding

Norris was slower than Verstappen through two-thirds of the lap. Then he found 0.36 seconds in Sector 3.

Norris lost a tenth in Sector 1. He clawed back eight hundredths in Sector 2. Then he arrived at Turn 10 and found 0.362 seconds.

That is not a small sector delta. That is 94% of his total qualifying advantage coming from the final third of the lap. The McLaren was not faster through Melbourne. It was faster through Turns 10 to 14.

The McLaren's advantage was surgical

NOR (Lap 19) vs VER (Lap 16) — fastest laps compared

Watch where the orange line pulls ahead — it's not in the high-speed sections. The separation happens in the slow and medium corners after Turn 9.

NOR (Lap 19)VER (Lap 16)

Fastest laps: NOR Lap 19, VER Lap 16.

Key Finding

Norris was slower than Verstappen through two-thirds of the lap. Then he found 0.36 seconds in Sector 3.

The speed trace makes it plain: Norris was not carrying more speed into the fast corners. The Red Bull matched or exceeded McLaren's velocity through the first two sectors. Where Norris gained was corner exit — out of the slow-speed hairpin at Turn 13, out of the final corner onto the straight.

Red Bull will have noticed. Their car is quick where it always has been. The problem is everywhere else.

Key Finding

Norris was slower than Verstappen through two-thirds of the lap. Then he found 0.36 seconds in Sector 3.

Verstappen qualified third. He was 0.385s off pole, and he was faster than Norris for two-thirds of the lap. That will not comfort Red Bull in the slightest.

Next week in Shanghai, watch Sector 2 — the long, flowing middle sector with hairpins at both ends. If McLaren's advantage travels, this will be a short championship.

Alistair Drum

@@alistair_drum

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