| 13:50:39
| Welcome to F1-Live.com and our live coverage of the Australian Grand Prix weekend and the all important qualifying hour. |
| 13:52:40
| Kimi Raikkonen set the pace this morning in practice with a best lap of 1:26.064 four-tenths clear of Giancarlo Fisichella in the leading Renault. Lewis Hamilton continued his impressive Grand Prix debut with McLaren Mercedes as he set the third fastest time ahead of Anthony Davidson in the Super Aguri Honda... |
| 13:55:00
| Super Aguri, the subject of much speculation in terms of the customer car row, also had Takuma Sato in ninth position. Felipe Massa, fastest on Friday, was fifth in the second Ferrari this morning ahead of Nick Heidfeld in the BMW Sauber and Fernando Alonso in the second McLaren. |
| 13:56:36
| As was the case last year, qualifying is split into three. The slowest six runners are eliminated after the first 15 minute session, then again the slowest six in the second session leaving ten to go for the pole in the final session. As was the case last year, they will run in qualifying trim in session one and two and with race fuel on board in session three. |
| 13:59:03
| It is dry and partly sunny at Albert Park as we get ready for the first 15 minute qualifying session. |
| 14:00:26
| Qualifying is now underway. |
| 14:01:01
| Albers, who lost time this morning with a gearbox problem, is the first man out in his Spyker. |
| 14:01:47
| Davidson joins the action in the Super Aguri. He has a very good chance of making it through to Q2 and even Q3. |
| 14:02:38
| Now others head out as the clock ticks down. It does not matter who is fastest in this first session, just who is in the bottom six. |
| 14:03:38
| The front runners are playing it cool and waiting a while before heading out. |
| 14:04:17
| Albers puts in a pretty slow lap and then runs wide at turn one. |
| 14:05:16
| Trulli now sets the pace from Davidson and Sato |
| 14:05:49
| Lewis Hamilton joins the action in his McLaren |
| 14:06:42
| Now Coulthard is fastest for Red Bull.. BMW, Renault and Ferrari yet to head out. |
| 14:07:07
| Alonso heads out in his McLaren |
| 14:07:18
| Rosberg has moved second fastest |
| 14:07:35
| Hamilton takes P1 as Webber moves second. |
| 14:08:10
| Massa and Raikkonen are on track. |
| 14:10:30
| Renault and BMW are now on track. Honda and Spyker are currently slowest |
| 14:10:52
| Raikkonen is now fastest from Hamilton and Alonso. |
| 14:11:34
| Massa moves fourth fastest ahead of Webber as he runs wide and onto the gravel. He continues. |
| 14:11:58
| Renault and BMW now have their drivers on hot laps. |
| 14:12:30
| The front-runners have pitted and are safe. |
| 14:12:43
| Barrichello has moved up the order to tenth. |
| 14:13:05
| Fisichella moves into the top ten and should be safe. |
| 14:13:16
| Robert Kubica moves third fastest. |
| 14:13:43
| Button needs to find time as he is in the bottom six |
| 14:14:13
| Liuzzi pits and it seems he is out |
| 14:14:38
| Button is on his fast lap of the session. |
| 14:14:55
| He is looking to bump Trulli's Toyota |
| 14:15:14
| The chequered flag is out. |
| 14:15:57
| Wurz is struggling in the Willaims and may not make the cut. They can finish the lap they are on however... |
| 14:16:09
| Wurz moves tenth in the Williams |
| 14:16:26
| Trulli moves eighth in the Toyota. |
| 14:16:58
| Button has moved up to 15th in the Honda. |
| 14:18:03
| So we have Albers, Sutil, Liuzzi, Coulthard, Speed and Barrichello eliminated after the first part of qualifying. The clocks will now reset and the remaining 16 get ready for Q2. |
| 14:19:36
| There is a short pause before Q2 gets underway. |
| 14:20:14
| Barrichello completed three runs in that last session in the Honda and still did not make the cut. |
| 14:22:42
| Q2 is now underway. Once again the slowest six will be eliminated. |
| 14:23:15
| No one has gone out as yet. |
| 14:25:01
| Nico Rosberg heads out in the Williams Toyota and is followed by team-mate Wurz and Davidson in the Super Aguri |
| 14:26:15
| Kovalainen and Fisichella jead out for Renault. Trulli left the pits with the rear jack still attached. |
| 14:27:07
| Ralf Schumacher seems to be cruising - he may have a problem |
| 14:27:34
| Rosberg sets the initial pace in the Williams. |
| 14:28:27
| Massa heads out as Ralf continues around with what seems a misfire or gearbox issue |
| 14:28:49
| Fisichella is now fastest ahead of Webber and Sato. |
| 14:29:16
| Only Raikkonen and Heidfeld yet to go out. |
| 14:30:29
| Thye early runners have pitted and all but Fisichella will have to run again to try and make the top ten. |
| 14:30:43
| Hamilton is on a hot lap in the McLaren |
| 14:31:07
| Kubica moves fastest for BMW |
| 14:31:22
| Hamilton takes P1 in the McLaren |
| 14:31:52
| Button remains on track but is not fast in the Honda. |
| 14:32:14
| Alonso moves second fastest behind team-mate Hamilton. |
| 14:33:16
| Rosberg, Button, Wurz and Kovalainen all need to improve as Raikkonen is on track. |
| 14:33:32
| Felipe Massa went out but pitted. He has yet to set a time. |
| 14:33:44
| Massa now heads out in his F2007. |
| 14:34:18
| Three minutes remain and most will head out shortly. |
| 14:34:35
| Raikkonen moves third fastest and is safe. |
| 14:34:51
| Alonso has gone back out, Hamilton has stayed in. |
| 14:35:13
| Massa starts his first timed lap. |
| 14:35:55
| Perhaps Alonso does not like being beaten by his rookie team-mate as he didn't really need another run. |
| 14:36:02
| Massa slows! |
| 14:36:37
| Massa has a problem and is cruising. That's his session over. |
| 14:37:11
| They are all on the final run to make the top ten. Massa has stopped - his Ferrari failed. |
| 14:37:44
| The chequered flag is out and Ralf has got his toyota going again and is now in the top ten. |
| 14:37:58
| Alonso moves fastest but that was a wasted run. |
| 14:38:37
| Sato moves tenth and pushes his team-mate down. |
| 14:39:20
| So Massa, Wurz, Button, Kovalainen, Rosberg and Davidson are eliminated. |
| 14:39:37
| Credit to Toyota for making the top ten after problems in Q2. |
| 14:40:23
| So a major blow for Massa and Kovalainen who both should have made the top ten. |
| 14:41:37
| The teams will now fuel the cars with the same level of fuel they will start the race for the final shootout. |
| 14:42:55
| Alonso was fastest in that session but he completed three runs while his major rivals completed two runs. Alonso is therefore one set of tyres down on his rivals now. |
| 14:43:46
| Massa jogs back to the Ferrari pit. Honda are now out of the session after a dismal showing. |
| 14:44:49
| The cars are now lined up ready for the start for Q3. |
| 14:45:05
| The session is now underway. |
| 14:45:49
| All ten leave the pit lane. |
| 14:46:14
| They will probably have the medium tyre on at the moment and then take a soft tyre at the end of the session. |
| 14:47:13
| These early laps are just about fuel burning and most will opt for two runs as the session progresses. |
| 14:47:49
| Mark Webber has done a great job to make the top ten in the Red Bull Renault. Coulthard was eliminated in Q1. |
| 14:48:48
| The cars flash across the line amd Heidfeld set the initial pace. |
| 14:50:33
| They all remain on track. No one has pitted for fresh tyres yet. |
| 14:51:36
| The times at the moment really don't mean much. |
| 14:52:03
| Hamilton, Alonso and Fiscihella pit or the soft tyres. |
| 14:52:53
| Now Raikkonen pits the Ferrari for rubber. |
| 14:53:08
| BMW pits Heidfeld and Kubica. |
| 14:53:54
| Fisichella and Hamilton pitted first, so they will be the first to complete a hot lap. |
| 14:54:47
| Hamilton is now on his fast lap in the McLaren |
| 14:55:02
| Alonso is now pushing hard in the sister MP4-22. |
| 14:55:14
| Fisichella moves fastest in the Renault. |
| 14:55:30
| Hamilton takes over provisional pole from Fisichella. |
| 14:55:56
| Now Alonso is P1 as Raikkonen starts his fast lap. They will all have another run. |
| 14:56:24
| Raikkonen much faster as he takes the provisional pole. |
| 14:57:17
| Now Heidfeld has moved second. |
| 14:57:50
| Most have are pitting and heading back out. Raikkonen may not need to go back out. |
| 14:58:31
| Raikkonen does head back out in the Ferrari |
| 14:58:57
| Fisichella in particular will be looking to improve on sixth. |
| 14:59:24
| The session end in less than a minute but they can finish the lap they are on. |
| 15:00:03
| Fisichella is behind Sato on track that may have cost him time. |
| 15:00:27
| Hamilton moves second fastest. |
| 15:00:46
| Alonso takes second away from his team-mate. |
| 15:01:43
| Nick Heidfeld improves and moves third as Webber improves to seventh in the Red Bull Renault. |
| 15:02:11
| So Kimi Raikkonen will start his first race for Ferrari from Pole Position! |
| 15:03:01
| Alonso lines up second ahead of Heidfeld, Hamilton, Kubica, Fisichella, Webber, Trulli, Ralf and Sato. |
