Lewis Hamilton has claimed a record eighth pole position in Australia, and sixth on the bounce at Albert Park.
Hamilton blew away the previous track record in Q2, but went even better in Q3 with a jaw-dropping 1:20.486.
With his eighth pole in Melbourne, Hamilton equalled Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher's single-track records for most poles at one circuit.
Mercedes will enjoy a front-row lockout, with Valtteri Bottas just a tenth down on his teammate's time.
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However, the concern for Ferrari is that third-placed Sebastian Vettel was a whopping seven-tenths down on Hamilton's marker.
A further surprise was that his new teammate Charles Leclerc was pipped by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, whose own teammate Pierre Gasly failed to reach Q2.
It seemed as though Bottas had the measure of his teammate after the first Q3 runs, but Hamilton showed all of his class - and some - to seal his 85th career pole position.
BREAKING: @LewisHamilton takes pole in Melbourne, edging out team-mate @ValtteriBottas in an absolute thriller! #AusGP 🇦🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/l1xk46diUE
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2019
The great surprise was Lando Norris, with the 19-year-old McLaren rookie to start eighth behind Haas pair Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen.
Kimi Raikkonen's maiden outing in Alfa Romeo colours will be from ninth ahead of Sergio Perez.
Meanwhile, Australian fans were given a glimpse of how hard Daniel Ricciardo will have to work in 2019, with Renault unable to break into Q3 with Nico Hulkenberg leading his new teammate in a 11-12 formation.
The moment @LewisHamilton...
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 16, 2019
✅ Took his sixth consecutive #AusGP pole
✅ Equalled the record for most poles (8) at one venue
✅ Blitzed the track record in Melbourne#AusGP 🇦🇺 #F1 pic.twitter.com/enxH5RMRAt
Q3 went as expected for cellar-dwellers Williams, but Robert Kubica's high-speed blowout scuppered Carlos Sainz's effort, with the Spaniard ending up 18th - a shock after teammate Norris eventually crept into Q3.
2019 AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX
QUALIFYING RESULTS
| Position | Driver | Car | Time | Margin |
| 1st | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:20.486 | |
| 2nd | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:20.598 | +0.112 |
| 3rd | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:21.190 | +0.704 |
| 4th | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:21.320 | +0.834 |
| 5th | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:21.442 | +0.956 |
| 6th | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1:21.826 | +1.340 |
| 7th | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:22.099 | +1.613 |
| 8th | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:22.304 | +1.818 |
| 9th | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo | 1:22.314 | +1.828 |
| 10th | Sergio Perez | Racing Point | 1:2.781 | +2.295 |
ELIMINATED IN Q2
Fastest: Lewis Hamilton, 1:21.014
| 11th | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | 1:22.562 | +1.548 |
| 12th | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | 1:22.570 | +1.556 |
| 13th | Alexander Albon | Toro Rosso | 1:22.636 | +1.622 |
| 14th | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo | 1:22.714 | +1.700 |
| 15th | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1:22.774 | +1.760 |
ELIMINATED IN Q3
Fastest: Charles Leclerc, 1:22.017
| 16th | Lance Stroll | Racing Point | 1:23.017 | +1.000 |
| 17th | Pierre Gasly | Red Bull | 1:23.020 | +1.003 |
| 18th | Carlos Sainz | McLaren | 1:23.084 | +1.067 |
| 19th | George Russell | Williams | 1:24.360 | +2.343 |
| 20th | Robert Kubica | Williams | 1:26.067 | +4.050 |
