Max Verstappen dominated qualifying for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver won his first pole position in Melbourne, winning the battle with Mercedes. “All weekend we’ve had problems getting the tires warmed up properly. I did a quick lap and I hope I can win here for the first time,” said Verstappen.
Second was George Russell, who lost over a quarter of a second, and third was Lewis Hamilton in Mercedes. Fourth position was taken by Fernando Alonso in Aston Martin.
The first big drama happened right in the opening part. Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Pérez went off the track and buried himself in the gravel escape zone. “Guys, we have to solve this problem. It was the same *** problem again,” the Mexican said angrily on the team radio.
For the Red Bull pilot, this meant that he did not progress further and the second man in the running order will start from the tail of the field in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
The qualification did not go according to expectations even for domestic newcomer Oscar Piastri. The Australian McLaren pilot dropped out in the first part, while only 46 thousandths of a second separated him from the lead.
The Australian Grand Prix starts on Sunday at 7:00 a.m. our time.
Position at the start of the Australian GP:
