MAX VERSTAPPEN clinched pole for the Australian GP while Mercedes were given a huge boost, with George Russell qualifying in second and Lewis Hamilton in third.
It was a thrilling session as Verstappen, Hamilton and Fernando Alonso all set provisional poles before the world champion came out on top.
But it was a nightmare for Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate, Sergio Perez, who will start in LAST PLACE.
Verstappen, who overcame battery and gear-change problems, took his first pole in Australia and said: “The last run was very good. The whole weekend has been tough but it all worked out in Q3.
“I think we will have a good race car and it will be a tricky race. I have been on the podium once but I want to be on a different step this time.”
Russell produced an excellent performance to take second as Mercedes defied the odds after a difficult start to the season.
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He said: “We wasn’t expecting that, that’s for sure! There is a lot of hard work going on and the car felt alive.
“If I am honest, I am a little disappointed that I did not get pole. It shows how quickly things can change.
“We would have been happy with fourth on Friday but we made some changes and the car felt great.”
Hamilton, who starts third – alongside Alonso – was denied the chance to go even quicker on his final lap after getting caught in traffic and said his goal is now to “get first”.
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He added: “I am so happy with this! This is totally unexpected. I am really proud of the team and George has done a fantastic job.
“This is a dream for us. We are all working hard and to be this close to the Red Bull is incredible.
“I hope we can give them a run for their money. I am super grateful for this position and will look to move forward tomorrow.”
While Verstappen was P1, it was a shocker for Perez, who spun off in Q1.
The Mexican, who won the last race in Jeddah, went too quickly into turn three and ended up hitting the wall and being dumped out of qualifying at the first hurdle.
The session was stopped as his stricken Red Bull was recovered while Perez voiced his frustration to his team over the radio.
“We need to fix that issue, man,” Perez says. “It was the same f issue again!”
Williams’ revival continued with Alex Albon qualifying in eighth place after the team showed strong signs of progress in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
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However, there was more misery for McLaren as their struggles continued with Lando Norris qualifying in 13th and Oscar Piastri in 16th.
Norris has publicly said he was backing McLaren’s engineering changes but this was another poor showing that will ramp up the pressure on CEO, Zak Brown.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
