Verstappen crashes in Australian GP qualifying, will start Sunday’s race from the back
Verstappen lost control of his car about 10 minutes into Q1 in Australian GP qualifying, spinning into the tire barriers and forcing him to start Sunday’s race from the back of the field. ‘I have never experienced anything like that,’ he said later. The Australian Grand Prix is scheduled to start Sunday at 6 a.m. Dutch time.
Verstappen lost control of his car about 10 minutes into Q1, before he had set a lap time. Approaching Turn 1 at the end of the straight, he braked, and the back of his car slid out, spinning him into the tire barriers. “The car locked at the rear axles, fantastic,” Verstappen said sarcastically over the team radio immediately after the crash.
He climbed out of the car without apparent serious injury but appeared to have some discomfort in his wrist. Verstappen was examined at the circuit’s medical center, where doctors confirmed that nothing was broken. Because he failed to set a lap time, Verstappen will start Sunday’s race from the back of the field.
After qualifying, Verstappen explained the incident further. “I had just pressed the brake and suddenly the rear axle completely locked,” he said on the Formula 1 website. “I have no idea why and how that happened. I have never experienced anything like that.”
According to Verstappen, the impact was more severe than it looked. “The steering wheel was knocked out of my hands, and that’s why I had to go to the doctor, but everything turned out fine.”
The difficult qualifying session followed a modest performance earlier Saturday, when Verstappen finished sixth in the third free practice session. Ahead of the season opener, he had already said he did not expect to compete for victory in Melbourne.
British driver George Russell dominated the qualifying session, leading every stage and ultimately beating his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli by 0.293 seconds in the final segment to claim pole position.
Italian driver Kimi Antonelli finished second, while French driver Isack Hadjar, Verstappen’s new Red Bull teammate, surprised with the third-fastest time, trailing George Russell by nearly eight-tenths of a second.
Monégasque driver Charles Leclerc qualified fourth, and Australian driver Oscar Piastri was fifth. Reigning world champion British driver Lando Norris will start sixth, ahead of fellow Briton Lewis Hamilton in seventh. Swedish driver Arvid Lindblad qualified eighth, followed by New Zealander Liam Lawson in ninth and Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto in 10th.
Qualifying also saw another interruption later in the session. During Q3, Antonelli was sent out with a cooling element still lodged in his car’s sidepod. The part came loose, landed on the track, and was crushed when Norris drove over it, triggering a red flag. Despite the interruption, British driver George Russell secured pole position comfortably in the closing minutes. The result gives him the best opportunity to lead the Formula 1 championship for the first time in his career after Sunday’s race.
