Max Verstappen is poised to equal a record with 10 consecutive victories after securing pole position for the Australian Grand Prix in his Red Bull.
Verstappen’s third pole in as many races seemed threatened by Ferrari, but he raised his performance in front of a record crowd at Melbourne’s Albert Park, narrowly beating Carlos Sainz by 0.270 seconds.
Despite Lewis Hamilton holding the record for eight pole positions at the circuit, he disappointedly started 11th on the grid, his lowest position in Melbourne in 14 years, after failing to progress to Q3 by a margin of 0.059 seconds behind George Russell in the other Mercedes.
Russell, set to leave Mercedes at the end of the season to join Ferrari, secured seventh on the grid, maintaining a 3-0 qualifying lead over Hamilton.
Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez qualified third, followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who aborted his last lap after an error.
Having won the last nine races, Verstappen is the overwhelming favorite to secure another triumph and equal his record in the 58-lap race on Sunday. However, uncertainties remain regarding Ferrari’s pace in long runs.
Sainz, recovering from emergency surgery to remove his appendix two weeks ago, expressed surprise at his front-row position and his determination despite feeling uncomfortable.
Daniel Ricciardo will start second-to-last on the grid after his best lap in Q1 was deleted due to running off the track at Turn 5. With the field reduced to 19 drivers following Alex Albon’s irreparable Williams, Ricciardo will have only one other driver, Stake’s Zhou Guanyu, starting behind him. Albon, who stepped into his teammate’s car, will watch the race from the Williams garage after qualifying 12th.
