Max Verstappen continued the form that has seen him dominate the new Formula One season by claiming an assured pole position at the Australian Grand Prix. While the world champion shone in the Melbourne sunshine, Lewis Hamilton was left in the doldrums, bemoaning an inconsistent car as he failed to make it to Q3.
Ferrari had looked strong around the Albert Park circuit before qualifying and there had been consideration that for the first time Red Bull’s iron grip on the championship might be given at least a wobble. Verstappen had not topped the timesheets in any session until the very final runs in qualifying but, as he has repeatedly demonstrated this season, when it matters he and Red Bull retain their edge.
Carlos Sainz did go closest to the Dutchman for the Scuderia, he had been quickest in Q1 and Q2 and looked to be a real contender for pole but ultimately finished second, still two-tenths in arrears. It was nonetheless an admirable performance from the Spaniard who missed the last round in Bahrain after undergoing emergency appendicitis surgery.
Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Pérez finished with the third quickest time but will take a three-place grid penalty for impeding the Haas of Nico Hülkenberg in Q1, demoting him to sixth and bumping McLaren’s Lando Norris up to third.
For Verstappen, this was the latest example of the command he has already shown over the rest of the field in the new season’s first two meetings. He has won both races with ease so far and a third from pole appears all too likely in Melbourne. Should Verstappen go on to secure victory he would equal his own record of ten consecutive race wins, a run he started in Japan last year having already set that benchmark earlier in the 2023 season. Verstappen’s only defeat in that 21-race period was by Sainz in Singapore, a remarkable sequence of unprecedented dominance.
Understandbly then, the Dutchman was content with his performance so far in Australia. “So far this weekend it’s been a bit tough to find a good balance in the car,” he said. “Even throughout qualifying, Q1, Q2, I didn’t really feel like [I was] fighting for pole. But then we made some little tickles on the car and that seemed to help me in Q3 to really push it to the limit and both of my laps I felt quite happy with it.”
There was considerably less satisfaction for Hamilton at Mercedes. After being fourth quickest in third practice, just a tenth off the front, he could not find that pace in qualifying and went out in Q2, finishing in 11th place.
Verstappen took some time to dial it in but was ultimately untouchable on his final runs in Q3 and takes pole for the third race row in a row. He opened with an impressive 1min 16.048sec lap, which was already enough to see off the contenders, then went one better with a 1min 15.915sec on his final run. Sainz did edge the Dutchman in the first sector but the Red Bull had an advantage through sector three and Verstappen exploited it.
The Spaniard was disappointed not to have come closer to pole but admitted it had been a novel experience driving only two weeks after having appendectomy surgery. “With the G-Force, everything in the inside just feels like it’s moving more than normal and you need some confidence to brace the core and the body as you used to do before,” he said. “But you get used to it. There is no pain. There is nothing to worry about. It’s just a weird feeling that you have to get used to while driving.”
Charles Leclerc, Sainz’s Ferrari teammate, was fourth and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri fifth. Yuki Tsunoda was eighth for Visa Cash App RB but his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, at his home race, could only manage 18th. Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso were ninth and tenth for Aston Martin.
Having written off his car during practice, Alex Albon qualified and will race in his teammate Logan Sargeant’s car, with the team not having a spare chassis in Melbourne. He finished 12th for Williams and Sargeant will not take part in the race.
Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou were in 13th and 19th for Sauber, Kevin Magnussen and Hülkenberg in 14th and 16th for Haas and Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly in 15th and 17th for Alpine.
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