Australian GP Qualifying: Max Verstappen claims F1 pole from Carlos Sainz but Lewis Hamilton out in Q2

In the qualifying round of the Australian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen successfully defended himself against an intense competition posed by the recently returned Carlos Sainz, enabling him to retain his flawless beginning to the 2024 season.

Lewis Hamilton's hope for success in the 2024 race was dashed, as his Mercedes car failed to qualify for Q3. Consequently, he will begin Sunday's race at the eleventh position which is his lowest starting position in Melbourne since 14 years.

Verstappen secured his third pole position in a row at the beginning of the latest season. However, the reigning champion faced a tough challenge from Sainz of Ferrari. Sainz made a remarkable comeback just a fortnight after his appendix surgery, which led him to miss the Saudi Arabian GP.

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During the initial two knockout sessions of qualifying, Sainz was ranked as the top performer. Ferrari's Leclerc also did well, coming in second in Q2. However, Verstappen managed to utilize the exceptional capabilities of his RB20 vehicle and produced two impressive laps in Q3 that would have secured the pole position.

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Verstappen's lap that won him the pole position had a time of 1 minute and 15.915 seconds, which was faster by approximately 0.27 seconds compared to Sainz's time.

Sergio Perez came in third place driving the second Red Bull, trailing behind by almost 10%. Lando Norris obtained his best result of the season, securing fourth place before Leclerc. Oscar Piastri, hailing from Australia, managed to take sixth place while driving the other McLaren.

Perez, who came in third place, is being looked into after the session for possibly obstructing Nico Hulkenberg from Haas during the Q1.

Here are the top 10 drivers who qualified for the Australian Grand Prix: 1. Lewis Hamilton 2. Valtteri Bottas 3. Sebastian Vettel 4. Max Verstappen 5. Kevin Magnussen 6. Romain Grosjean 7. Charles Leclerc 8. Nico Hulkenberg 9. Kimi Raikkonen 10. Lance Stroll These drivers put in impressive performances during qualifying, proving their skill and determination on the track. Each of them will be looking to continue their success in the upcoming race, vying for the top spot on the podium. It's sure to be an exciting competition, and we can't wait to see who comes out on top.

Max Verstappen from the Red Bull racing team completed a lap in 1 minute and 15.915 seconds.

Carlos Sainz from Ferrari finished his lap only 0.270 seconds behind the fastest lap time.

Sergio Perez from Red Bull achieved a time of +0.359, according to the results.

Lando Norris from McLaren completed the lap only 0.400 seconds behind the leader.

Charles Leclerc from the Ferrari team came in with a time of 0.520 seconds ahead.

The driver Oscar Piastri who is a part of the McLaren team achieved a time of +0.657 seconds during a race.

George Russell, driving for Mercedes, achieved a time that was 0.809 seconds faster than his competitors.

Yuki Tsunoda has secured the eighth position with a time difference of 0.873 seconds.

Canadian racing driver Lance Stroll has made an impressive move for his team Aston Martin, securing a gain of 1.157 seconds. This is a great achievement for Stroll, who has helped his team to improve their position in the race. With such an impressive performance, Stroll is sure to gain recognition and continue to push for success in the future.

The gap between Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin is +1.637 seconds. Rewritten: There is a time difference of +1.637 seconds between Fernando Alonso and the Aston Martin.

Leclerc qualified from the front row for the first time since the Qatar Grand Prix of last October. However, he could only manage fifth place due to abandoning his last attempt as he went slightly off-course while braking at Turn Three. He admitted that driving the SF-24 was a daunting task and the final Q3 attempt did not help either, as the front-wing change made it even more aggressive.

Sainz was even more impressive in his performance after hearing his teammate's description of the car.

The Spanish driver expressed that they don't feel totally comfortable while driving, but they can still accomplish the task. However, they were not present for the previous race in Jeddah and were substituted by the reserve driver, Oliver Bearman.

I experienced a great deal of uneasiness and unusual sensations, but there was no agony, which enabled me to push myself to the limit.

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Following a challenging Friday, Mercedes seemed to make progress in the earlier final practice session, but during qualifying the W15's flaws were once again exposed.

Following his last lap in the second stage, Hamilton was positioned in 10th place, but unfortunately, he was pushed out of the competition due to Tsunoda's sudden advancement in the final moments. On the other hand, Hamilton's teammate George Russell narrowly made it through the stage.

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Russell managed to secure the seventh spot in the qualifications but was eight tenths of a second slower than the fastest driver. In the previous year, the second and third slots on the starting grid were occupied by Mercedes' drivers, just behind Verstappen.

In the qualifying round, Lance Stroll from Aston Martin claimed the 10th spot, leaving Fernando Alonso behind for the first time this year. The two-time champion lost control during his first attempt, zooming off the track and into the grass.

Although Tsunoda made it to Q3 for the second time in a row, his teammate from Red Bull Racing, Daniel Ricciardo, faced another disappointment at his home race. He had his fastest lap removed, causing him to exit in Q1 and finish in 18th place.

Ricciardo appeared to be in a good position to advance to Q2 as he clocked the 12th fastest lap during his final attempt. However, Race Control deemed that he exceeded the track limits in securing this lap time. As a result, they removed the time and pushed Ricciardo down to 18th position on the starting grid. The only driver starting behind him on Sunday's grid is Zhou Guanyu from Sauber.

Qualifying Results For Australian Grand Prix

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