This is the 35th pole position of Verstappen’s career and the third in a row this season.
Max Verstappen wins his third pole position of the season Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in the early hours of this Saturday the 23rd. Despite not having been the fastest during free practice, which had Norris and Leclerc as leaders, Verstappen put all his energy into Q3 and secured the victory, followed by Carlos Sainz Jr. And Sergio Perez. The race will take place this Sunday, at 1am Brasilia time.
The dispute for pole featured 19 cars, Logan Sargeant is out for the weekend after handing over his Williams to Alexander Albon, who crashed in FP1 and was unable to get his car repaired in time.
Also among the top ten in the final ranking were Norris, Leclerc, Piastri, Russell, Tsunoda, Stroll and Alonso.
Q1 went to the Spaniard Carlos Sainz, who clocked 1’16’731. The two Ferraris took the lead, followed by Verstappen who set the best lap with eight minutes left in Q1. With three minutes to go Perez is one of the first to get back on track and overtakes Leclerc. Mercedes did not perform well despite Russell’s sixth place, Lewis Hamilton He set the 12th fastest time and came close to not reaching Q2.
The result ended with Sainz, Perez and Verstappen respectively. Albon had his first lap canceled for the first time in the local GP for exceeding track limits. Ricciardo, Hulkenberg, Gasly and Zhou were the first to be eliminated.
In Q2, with 15 minutes on track, Sainz, Leclerc and Verstappen led with the best times. Mercedes continued to do poorly, Hamilton dropped to 11th and was eliminated just 0.059s early in Q3, behind George Russel, after being overtaken by Tsunoda and Strol who saved themselves from elimination in the latter stages minutes. With Hamilton eliminated Albon, Bottas, Magnussen and Ocon.
In the last Verstappen accelerated and left the Ferraris behind 1m15s915. Less than eight minutes from the checkered flag, the Dutchman clocked 1’16’048. Sainz followed in second and third, just 0.270 seconds, and Perez. Leclerc had problems and made mistakes in the final corners and dropped to fifth place. Two-time champion Alonso interrupted his lap after going off track at Turn 6 and returned to the pits.
Max also started from first place in the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian GPs this season, winning both.
Discover the starting grid for the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian GP
- Max Verstappen (HOL/Red Bull), 1’15’915
- Carlos Sainz Jr. (ESP/Ferrari), 1’16’185
- Sergio Pérez (MEX/Red Bull), 1’16’274
- Lando Norris (ING/McLaren), 1min16s315
- Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari), 1’16’435
- Oscar Piastri (AUS/McLaren), 1min16s572
- George Russell (ING/Mercedes), 1min16s724
- Yuki Tsunoda (JAP/RB), 1min16s788
- Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin), 1’17.072
- Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin), 1’17’552
- Lewis Hamilton (ING/Mercedes), 1min16s960
- Alexander Albon (TAI/Williams), 1min17s167
- Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Sauber), 1min17s340
- Kevin Magnussen (DIN/Haas), 1min17s427
- Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine), 1min17s697
- Nico Hülkenberg (ALE/Haas), 1min17s976
- Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine), 1min17s982
- Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/RB), 1’18.085
- Guanyu Zhou (CHN/Sauber), 1min18s188
Source: Terra
Emma is a professional author and journalist, working at 247 News Update. With years of experience, she brings a unique perspective and in-depth analysis to her work.
