Sawt Falasteen - Leclerc grabs pole ahead of Verstappen for Australian Grand Prix

Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez is on the second row after coming in third ahead of McLaren's Lando Norris.

Mercedes' Hamilton, who has been the pole-sitter eight times in Melbourne, including the last six in a row at Albert Park, will start fifth.

It is second pole of the year for Leclerc after the season-opening race in Bahrain, where he went onto to win.

He knocked out his rivals with a flying lap at the death of one minute 17.868, fractionally ahead of Red Bull's world champion Verstappen, who won in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago.

"It felt good. Even more because it's a track where I've always struggled in the past, in Q3 I managed to put everything together so it feels great, very happy," said Monaco's Leclerc.

"The car is nice to drive, everything is possible tomorrow. We need a good start."

Verstappen had complained of oversteer and balance problems in the final practice ahead of qualifying for Sunday's race and the Dutchman said he was still struggling despite being second-fastest.

"I didn't really feel good in the car all weekend. I don't think there's been one lap where I've felt good in the car," he said.

"We'll try to analyse it. This weekend has been all over the place. Happy to be second, but as a team we want more."

While Mercedes' speed is improving, it still has problems with porpoising -- bouncing too much at speed. But fifth was a major improvement for Hamilton, who only qualified 16th in Jeddah. His team-mate George Russell was sixth on Saturday.

In a morale-boost, both McLarens made Q3 for the first time this season with Daniel Ricciardo coming seventh. Esteban Ocon in an Alpine was eighth and Carlos Sainz in the other Ferrari only ninth.

Veteran Fernando Alonso, who has been quick all weekend in the Alpine, had to settle for 10th after crashing at Turn 11, saying on the radio he couldn't shift down gears.

But it was a dismal day for four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, who sent his Aston Martin into a wall at high speed in the final practice Saturday and managed just three laps in qualifying.

He finished 18th to cap a miserable time for the German, who missed the opening two races of the year with Covid, suffered engine failure on Friday and was fined 5,000 euros (US$5,437) after riding a moped on the track.

U.Shaheen--SF-PST