Charles Leclerc grabs pole number 2 ahead of Max Verstappen for Australian Grand Prix

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc claimed pole on Saturday for the Australian Grand Prix ahead of title rival Max Verstappen - and in the process broke Lewis Hamilton's stranglehold on the grid in Melbourne.

Verstappen's Red Bull teammate 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 a second pole of the year for Leclerc after the season-opening race in Bahrain, where he went on to win.

Pole position #2 of 2022 for @Charles_Leclerc! ??#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/rvhsAdaLoC

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 teammate George