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• Hamilton unsure of Mercedes' Sunday ceiling after Melbourne qualifying boost

  Lewis Hamilton suspects Mercedes' sensational Saturday in Melbourne may not be achievable at other tracks and is still unsure if he and George Russell can fight to win the Australian Grand Prix.

  Mercedes drivers and officials had been pessimistic in their forecasts for the season prior to qualifying in this week's third race.

  But Russell secured a place on the front row alongside Max Verstappen, with Hamilton qualifying third-fastest to put the Silver Arrows in a great position to attack Red Bull's world champion.

  "I'm a little bit surprised; maybe they are also a little bit surprised," Verstappen said in Saturday's press conference. "But I guess it's a good thing."

  It is certainly a good thing for Mercedes, although Hamilton is not convinced this means all their issues have gone away.

  "I think it's perhaps track-specific," he said, "but I think ultimately there's no one in the team that's had their heads down, in terms of giving up.

  "Everyone's been working incredibly hard to try to squeeze the most out of what we currently have."

  Verstappen had not previously qualified on pole in Melbourne, where he is still waiting for his first win.

  Hamilton has a joint-record eight poles at this event, winning twice, and added: "I think this gives everyone in the team a boost and a glimpse of hope and this will spur everyone on and will inspire everyone to continue to push.

  "We know that if we can just bring a little bit of performance, we can close the gap to the front. Still, there are going to be places where the gap is a lot bigger."

  Russell did not entirely concur, countering: "For sure, we maximised the job, no doubt about it, but we had a good qualifying last week in Jeddah.

  "I didn't put my lap together in the last run in Jeddah and was only a tenth off P3.

  "So no, I don't think it's necessarily track-specific. I do think we're making some improvement with the understanding of the car."

  But Hamilton and Russell were in agreement that Red Bull, even with Sergio Perez encountering issues and failing to make it out of Q1, remain the team to beat.

  Russell said: "I do still think Red Bull are a class ahead of everybody else.

  "For sure Lewis and I got the most out of it today, [but] by the sounds of what Max is saying, there was probably still a little bit more in the locker.

  "And we're talking that three-tenths is a little bit – normally, they're a second ahead; now, they're three-tenths ahead – that's still a huge amount in the world of F1."

  If only for this weekend, though, can Mercedes challenge Red Bull for the top step of the podium? Hamilton still does not know.

  "I haven't even done a long run," he explained. "So tomorrow, going into the race, will be the first time I do so.

  "And I've not seen where we tally up compared to them. We have to expect they're going to be a quarter of a second, half a second, at least, quicker than us.

  "But maybe in the tow, maybe we can just about hold on; maybe the fact that there's two of us and only one Red Bull, maybe with strategy, maybe we can apply some pressure to them. So, we'll see."

• Verstappen takes first Melbourne pole, but Mercedes offer 'unexpected' response

  Max Verstappen ended his wait for pole position at the Australian Grand Prix, but Mercedes came out of Saturday with their optimism renewed in Melbourne.

  While reigning Formula One champion and season leader Max Verstappen remains the man to beat, he is without Red Bull team-mate in support at the front of the grid this weekend.

  Instead, George Russell joined Verstappen on the front row, with Lewis Hamilton qualifying third-fastest in a qualifying session the pair acknowledged was "unexpected".

  It could have been even better for Mercedes, with Hamilton setting an initial provisional pole in a hotly contested Q3.

  Just 0.301 seconds separated the top seven at one stage, before a dominant Verstappen performance took him 0.236s clear.

  "The last run was very good," he said, acknowledging a "very tough" weekend.

  After finally securing pole in Melbourne, his next aim is a first Australia GP win.

  Verstappen added: "I've been on the podium once, but I want to be on a different step this time."

  Yet Mercedes intend to have something to say about that, even if merely getting this close to Verstappen was far beyond their expectations.

  "We weren't expecting that, that's for sure," said Russell. "There's a lot of hard work going on back at the factory here in Melbourne, and what a session for us. The car felt alive.

  "The lap at the end was right on the limit, and to be honest, I was a little bit disappointed we didn't get pole position.

  "It's one of those things, how your expectations change so quickly in this sport. We probably would have been happy with top four, top five yesterday, but the car felt awesome.

  "It goes to show we've definitely got potential still to come."

  Hamilton suggested this week it would take "the rest of the year to potentially close that gap" to Red Bull, yet the Silver Arrows are suddenly back in contention.

  "I'm so happy with this. This is totally unexpected," Hamilton said. "I'm really, really proud of the team.

  "George did a fantastic job today, so for us to be up there on the two front rows is a dream for us.

  "We're all working as hard as we can to get right back up the front, so to be this close to Red Bull is honestly incredible. I hope tomorrow we can give them a bit of a run for their money."

  Absent from the Q3 battle was Perez, who is on a career-best run of three straight podiums and had talked up his title aspirations this week.

  But he endured problems right from the outset on Saturday, delayed in his start to FP3 and then running into trouble at Turn 3.

  Perez locked up again at the same corner early in Q1 and ended in the gravel, his session over as he bemoaned "the same issue again" over the team radio.

  McLaren's home favourite Oscar Piastri, making his Australian GP debut, fared little better, out in Q1.

  A strong start to the season for Fernando Alonso continued as the veteran qualified fourth, ahead of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.

  PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION

  1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
  2. George Russell (Mercedes)
  3. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
  4. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
  5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
  6. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
  7. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
  8. Alexander Albon (Williams)
  9. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
  10. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

• Ricciardo: Signs are pointing to 2024 Formula One return

  Daniel Ricciardo believes he will return to the Formula One grid for the 2024 season after a year-long absence.

  The Australian departed McLaren at the end of the 2022 campaign and did not take a seat on the grid for 2023, instead returning to Red Bull in a reserve driver capacity.

  Just three months into his reduced role, which has allowed far more free time, Ricciardo feels he has got what he wanted out of the break and is now seeking a full-time return to F1.

  While it is not yet known what opportunities may emerge next year, Ricciardo is expecting to be back

  "The signs are pointing towards getting back on the grid. I feel like that's where I'm tracking in my head and a few of the habits that I'm having or doing is pointing towards that," he told reporters ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

  "It's only been a few months [out of F1] but I think some itches have been scratched, so to speak. I've actually weirdly found that the days that I've had no schedule are the days when I've actually done training, and I've done things like I would before.

  "So I don't know, being my own boss, writing my own schedule has actually brought out a lot of the things in me. When I thought I might just sit on the couch and watch movies all day and eat junk food, I'm just not. That's not me.

  "So even these things have made me realise how much I do care about it."

  However, Ricciardo will not change the stance he had ahead of the current season and will only accept a seat with a team capable of fighting at the front end of the grid.

  "I still am at a point where it's not at any cost, it's not just to be back on the grid," he added.

  "A lot of the reason for taking this year off was that I didn't want to just jump back into a car, any car just to be one of the F1 drivers. And I still don't see myself starting from scratch and rebuilding a career from ground zero and going at it for another decade.

  "I appreciate I might not have every opportunity under the sun, but I want to win. I want to be back with a top team and obviously a team where I have my confidence back and my mojo.

  "I think also that's where, maybe when I look back that's a weakness of mine, but in a way it's a strength as I feel better at the front of the grid. I feel like I perform in those situations with a bit more pressure and a bit more emphasis on a podium.

  "So, to go back and try to put myself in just any seat or something that's fighting at best for a top-10 finish, I don't think that's going to bring the best out of me. So yeah, I see myself, at least in my head, wanting to go back on the grid, but there's still some terms and conditions, so to speak."