George Russell, who had already grown into the man to beat in this new regulatory era beforehand, has confirmed that status with verve. The Briton drove with dominance to pole position in Australia. Teammate Kimi Antonelli stands next to him on the front row of the grid. At the back of the starting grid, we find Max Verstappen, who was unable to set a fast time due to a crash.
Read more VIDEO | Piastri crashes before start of home race, out of Australian GP
The front row for Mercedes was already expected, but the surprise of qualifying comes mainly from third place on the grid: Isack Hadjar. In his very first appearance for Red Bull, the young Frenchman leaves the competition behind and shows that he is not in one of the most coveted seats on the grid for nothing.
Charles Leclerc follows in P4 for Ferrari, with Oscar Piastri in fifth and reigning world champion Lando Norris in sixth. The McLaren driver expected more himself, but for now stands in the shadow of the new silver dominance. Lewis Hamilton starts seventh and sees Liam Lawson next to him on the starting grid. F1 debutant Arvid Lindblad starts impressively in ninth and Gabriel Bortoleto rounds out the top ten for Audi.
Read also: Norris tears apart 2026 car: ‘From the best ever to probably the worst’
Read more VIDEO | Expected chaos at start of Australian GP fails to materialize, Leclerc takes lead
Then the painful stories. Aston Martin is in a dramatic position: Fernando Alonso stumbles to P17 and Lance Stroll even starts dead last, in P22. The team has major problems and Melbourne shows that ruthlessly. And then Max Verstappen. The four-time world champion flew into the gravel during qualifying and ended up in the wall. Q1 over, before it had even begun. As a result, the Dutchman starts twentieth. What can he pull off from the back of the field?
The race starts Sunday at 05:00 Dutch time. In short: set the alarm!
Read more VIDEO | Hadjar retires during Red Bull debut race, second retirement in Melbourne
Read everything about the Australian GP here
