Lewis Hamilton has opened Formula One's new season, one of new regulations and new cars, with a remarkably familiar performance at the front of the field to secure pole for the Australian Grand Prix. The three-time world champion saw off a determined resurgence by Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel, who pushed him to the last, to start at the front of the grid for the sixth time at Albert Park. It is the 62nd pole position of Hamilton's career and continues an exceptionally strong run in the single-lap discipline, with the British driver having secured top spot in the last four races of 2016. The new regulations promised faster cars and they have delivered. Hamilton set a time of 1.22.188 on his final hot lap, the fastest time recorded here in Melbourne – with the comparative pole time here in 2016 of 1.23.837 – set by the British driver. He led the way over the first two practice sessions but the form Ferrari showed in testing proved no false dawn when Vettel went fastest on Saturday morning in the final practice session. He was nearly half a second quicker than both the two Mercedes, topping the time sheets with a 1.23.380 – at which point he had also beaten that fastest lap time, a 1:23.529, which was set by the German in 2011. Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas qualified in third place only three-hundredths back from Vettel. It was a good opening in his first competitive run for Mercedes - but he was not happy with being unable to secure a front-row lock-out for his team, a scenario Mercedes have become familiar with, having won the last three drivers' and constructors' championships. "It's been a fantastic weekend so far," Hamilton said. "I am incredibly proud of my team, this rule change has been huge and it has been such a massive challenge and the guys have worked so hard to get the car where it is today. It's great for us and for Mercedes, and it's close between us all. It's going to be a tight race this year." Huge numbers of fans, who have thronged Albert Park all weekend in greater numbers than last year, will have to hope for a spectacular recovery drive from the Australian hope, Daniel Ricciardo, who put his Red Bull in the barriers. He overcooked it and lost the back end at turn 14, causing the final session to be red-flagged after only the top four had set their first times in Q3. He will start from 10th. Those first runs, however, were electrifying – with Vettel initially pipping Bottas by just two-thousandths of a second only to see his time beaten by Hamilton by a further three-tenths. Once Ricciardo's car was removed, the session restarted and Vettel pushed as hard as he could, but Hamilton had the lap in his hands and sealed pole. "We have a good car, things are improving," Vettel said. "The confidence in the car was there and we showed it. I was not entirely happy with my lap but I don't think pole was up for grabs. I think we can do something in the race, the pace will be much better than in practice. We have gone through a lot of changes and the team has got better. People are fired up and we are motivated for tomorrow." His team-mate Kimi Raikkonen finished in fourth, followed by the first of the Red Bulls in the hands of Max Verstappen. Romain Grosjean put in a sterling effort to secure the highest spot in the midfield for Haas in sixth, with the Toro Rossos of Carlos Sainz Jr and Daniil Kvyat in eighth and ninth respectively. Force India, who punched above their weight to secure fourth in the constructors' championship last season, had a disappointing opening to their campaign, with Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon knocked out in Q2 in 11th and 14th respectively. Fernando Alonso was the best placed McLaren in 13th, which is still a long way from where the team hoped to be this season. Testing problems with their Honda power unit have left them struggling and they have not been able to bring a significant performance upgrade to Australia – a long Sunday afternoon awaits the Spaniard. Renault's Nico Hülkenberg was in 12th with the Sauber of Marcus Ericsson in 15th. Lance Stroll, the Canadian rookie, will receive a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox after swiping the rear wheel of his Williams into the barriers on the exit of turn 10. It put his car in the wall during final practice. He qualified in 19th but will start from the back of the grid. Sauber ran with the third Ferrari driver, Antonio Giovinazzi – making his F1 debut after Pascal Wehrlein withdrew on Saturday morning. The German injured his back at the race of champions in January and missed the first pre-season test. He was concerned his fitness levels were not up to the standard required to finish the race and has stood down until China. Giovinazzi just missed out on making it to Q2 and will start in 16th. Kevin Magnussen in the Haas was in 17th, in front of a very disappointing 18th for Stoffel Vandoorne in the McLaren. Britain's Jolyon Palmer was 20th in the Renault.
