george russell He cemented his position as world championship favorite by securing a crushing pole position for Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
A composed Russell outwitted his rivals at Melbourne’s Albert Park and finished 0.293 seconds behind his teammate. kmy antonelli As soon as the Mercedes closed the front row.
isaac hadjar He finished third on his Red Bull debut, but that was almost eight-tenths slower than Russell as Mercedes’ impressive pace was highlighted for the first time in the sport’s new era.
ferrari’s Charles Leclerc Finished fourth, one place ahead of the McLaren driver oscar piastri.
lando norris Will begin his championship defense in sixth. Lewis Hamilton He finished seventh on the grid, a tenth and a half slower than Leclerc in the other Ferraris. max verstappen He will power up the grid after crashing sensationally.
Antonelli, who crashed out of final practice earlier on Saturday, faces a stewards investigation for leaving the pits in an “unsafe condition” after two cooling fans on the Italian’s right-hand sidepod were left on when he emerged in Q3.
One ended up in the gravel at the opening corner and the other on the straightaway which Norris drove over and broke into hundreds of pieces. McLaren had to fix Norris’s front wing with duct tape for the remainder of the season.
Mercedes were expected to take the lead after a major change in the rules of the game, but as they showed their full pace for the first time, their advantage was perhaps greater than they expected.
Norris, whose McLaren team has won the Constructors’ Championship for the last two years, was one second behind his compatriot.
No wonder Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was grinning from ear to ear at the conclusion of the session.
Earlier, Verstappen had crashed out in his first qualifying lap.
The four-time world champion lost control of his Red Bull while braking at the opening corner before crossing the gravel and breaking the barrier.
“The car just locked up on the rear axle,” Verstappen said over the radio. “fantastic.”
Verstappen’s accident will put him at the back of the grid. Verstappen has been critical of the new rules and his early exit from qualifying is unlikely to change his decision.
The 10-minute red-flag period also gave Mercedes crucial minutes to repair its car after Antonelli’s heavy crash.
Aston Martin’s fernando alonso Will start 17th, lapping faster than only the Cadillac drivers sergio perez And valtteri bottasas a teammate lance stroll Even failed to post a time.
