Dominant three-time world champion Max Verstappen clinched a third straight pole of the season on Saturday at the Australian Grand Prix as the flying Dutchman targets a record 10th consecutive win.
In overcast conditions at Melbourne’s Albert Park, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, back in the car barely two weeks after appendicitis surgery, came in second in tense qualifiers and will keep the Red Bull ace company on the front row.
“A bit unexpected today, but very happy — both (Q3) laps felt very nice,” said Verstappen, who is looking to repeat his feat from last year when he won in Australia from pole.
The Dutchman knocked out his rivals with a flying lap of one minute, 15.915, 0.270 seconds ahead of Sainz.
Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull will start third alongside Lando Norris, who scored a surprise fourth in his McLaren.
The 2022 Melbourne winner, Charles Leclerc, in the second Ferrari was fifth, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri sixth on his home track.
Mercedes’ George Russell came in seventh, ahead of RB’s Yuki Tsunoda and the Aston Martin pair of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso.
But there was disappointment for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who missed Q3 and will start in 11th.
“It’s been a tough couple of weeks, a lot of days in bed waiting to see if I could be here today,” said a relieved Sainz, who missed the last race in Jeddah for his surgery.
“To put it on the front row after leading through qualifying, I was almost not believing it.”
But despite his best efforts, he could not topple Verstappen, who won the opening two races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, both from pole.
The 26-year-old is chasing a 10th straight victory to match his own record set last year, while Red Bull are attempting to score a third straight 1-2 finish for the first time in the team’s history.
With AFP
