MELBOURNE -- George Russell predicted world champions McLaren are in "prime position" for the 2025 season and said only Sunday's threat of rain can stop the papaya cars winning the Australian Grand Prix.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri qualified nearly 0.3 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen in third, confirming the preseason projections that McLaren were ahead coming into the new season.
Russell will line up fourth for Mercedes, with Ferrari's expected challenge fading as qualifying wore on.
"Yeah, I think it's kind of as we expected," Russell said after qualifying. "McLaren up front who have a comfortable gap and then I feel like this season can be anyone's game between ourselves, Red Bull and Ferrari.
"You've got surprisers like Yuki and Albon has been really competitive this week. The Williams are showing great signs of quality pace but in terms of the race, I think that's what we're going to see."
Russell pointed to the promise of rain on Sunday as the only hope anyone had of thwarting the reigning constructors' champions.
"Tomorrow is anybody's game as it always is in the rain but if it was dry, I expect that gap from McLaren to probably increase in the race pace. They've got a massive advantage it seems in sector three.
Later, he added: "They're doing something pretty special, that's for sure."
Red Bull started 2024 in a similarly strong position in terms of advantage, only for McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari to catch up as the year went on, with each recording multiple wins.
Russell did not sound optimistic the same can happen this year on the eve of a major regulation change.
"They're in such an advantage because they can stop development now and go fully on '26 and it's difficult to overcome that gap.
"I think Red Bull started the season off [2024] so far ahead of everyone but I don't think people overtook them in terms of development. I think they brought some things to the car and went backwards or had some things clarified and went backwards. If you've got a six tenths advantage at the start of a year [like Red Bull last year], nobody finds six tenths throughout the course of a year.
"McLaren are in prime position for now and the future."