- Max Verstappen qualified on pole position for the third time this season
- Lewis Hamilton only finished 11th, while teammate George Russell would finish 7th
- Carlos Sainz impressed on his return while Williams will only race one car
Max Verstappen set himself up for a record tenth straight victory by taking pole position for the Australian Grand Prix.
The 26-year-old Red Bull star mounted a spirited Ferrari challenge to beat Carlos Sainz by 0.270 seconds in Albert Park in front of a crowd of just under 131,000.
Verstappen won ten races last season, a feat never before achieved in the history of the sport. Amazingly, he can repeat the feat on Sunday, having not lost since the Singapore Grand Prix last September. His winning streak started in Japan.
His car is clearly good, but a measure of the Dutchman’s ability was that he qualified 0.359 seconds ahead of teammate Sergio Perez, who was third. McLaren’s Lando Norris starts fourth.
Verstappen has now taken pole in all three races this year.
Max Verstappen qualified on pole position for the Australian GP, with teammate Sergio Perez third
It was a devastating day for Lewis Hamilton, who could only finish eleventh in qualifying
“It was a bit unexpected today, but I am very happy with Q3,” said Verstappen. ‘Both my laps felt nice and enjoyable. It’s been a tough weekend so far, but we finally managed to get there.
‘They (Ferrari) look very fast on the long runs, so there is a question mark for tomorrow.’
Lewis Hamilton had a terrible day and only qualified eleventh, 0.059 seconds behind teammate George Russell, who finished seventh. Russell has outperformed the seven-time world champion in qualifying all year. The pair are 26-26 in qualifying since Russell joined Mercedes.
It was Hamilton’s lowest starting position on the grid since 2010 at the sun-drenched circuit, where he has achieved an unprecedented pole position eight times.
Sainz’s performance was commendable as he missed the last race in Jeddah a fortnight ago after undergoing emergency surgery to remove his appendix.
The 29-year-old Spaniard said: ‘It’s been a tough few weeks, a lot of days in bed, waiting to see if I’d be here today, and to make it this weekend and then put it on the market. front row, I almost didn’t believe it.
“I was rusty yesterday, but I got up to speed and found the pace and I feel good with the car.
“I’m not going to lie, I’m not in my most comfortable state driving there, but I can get it done. I have a lot of feelings, but no pain, so I’m going all out.”
Sergio Perez performed brilliantly to qualify second on his return from an appendectomy
Logan Sargeant will not race after Alex Albon crashed his Williams on Friday, with Williams choosing the latter to drive for them
Racing Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo will start his home race from 18th position after his time was scrapped at the end of Q1.
The Australian had pushed himself among the top runners but was deemed to have exceeded the track limits. It was a disappointment for the packed stands that had cheered him to the rafters just moments earlier.
Only Stake’s Zhou Guanyu will start behind Ricciardo on a 19-man grid.
There will not be the usual twenty cars, because Alex Albon crashed his Williams on Friday and his machinery was beyond repair. Nevertheless, Albon will start the race after receiving the car from his teammate Logan Sargeant.
As a result, Sargeant will sit out the event – tough on the American, but team boss James Vowles believes London-born Albon offers a better chance of a higher finish.
Albon qualified 12th.
