Australian Grand Prix qualifying: Verstappen seals another pole at Albert Park
Max Verstappen drove his Red Bull to secure a second pole of the season at the Australian Grand Prix, the third round of the 2023 calendar. The Dutch World Championship leader will start from the front row, flanked by George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, whose Mercedes outfit edged Fernando Alonso for a place on the front row. The Asturian driver will line up fourth for Aston Martin, with Carlos Sainz completing the top five in a session that promises intense early-morning excitement for fans in Melbourne. DAZN viewers can expect live coverage early tomorrow morning, starting at 07:00 local time.
Sergio Pérez produced the first major surprise of the session. The Mexican, who sat just one point behind Verstappen in the standings, endured significant trouble in the third free practice, particularly in the sequence through the final turn of the Albert Park circuit. When Q1 commenced, Pérez locked the tires again, sending Red Bull into gravel and triggering the session’s first red flag. One of the frontrunners who had taken pole and won the previous race found himself eliminated from the qualifying action, forced to start at the rear for the Melbourne race.
BOMB!
Pérez was excluded from the classification in the opening segment as a consequence of the incident.
What a dramatic morning at Albert Park. DAZN Spain captured the moment as the team faced a difficult afternoon, posting, This is a setback for the Mexican rider and a reminder of how quickly fortunes can swing on this circuit.
The pole fight began in cooler conditions, with the timing screens showing 14 degrees Celsius, markedly below typical for this race weekend. Humidity remained high, and a brisk wind plus earlier rain kept the surface slippery and the grass a constant challenge for drivers. Verstappen led the way in practice, with Alonso close behind in the early phases. The Dutchman set a pace of 1:18.063, while Fernando Alonso answered with 1:17.832, only to have the lead snatched back as Verstappen improved to 1:17.469, the best time of the weekend to that point. Carlos Sainz then slotted into fourth with a solid lap that baled him into the fight for a place in Q3.
Verstappen, Hamilton, Esteban Ocon, Alonso, Russell, and Sainz dominated the top positions, while Charles Leclerc found himself outside the top ten after an off-track moment. Teammate Sergio Pérez, Zhou Guanyu, Logan Sargeant, Valtteri Bottas, and rookie Oscar Piastri fought to stay in the frame for a strong qualifying result, with many eyes on the performance of the home favorite from Australia.
Aston Martin presses the pace
Two Aston Martins led the early push in Q2, with Lance Stroll posting 1:17.616 and Fernando Alonso 1:17.681, just a few thousandths apart. Charles Leclerc improved Ferrari to 1:17.560, while Verstappen responded with a late charge to a 1:17.219. In his second run, Alonso moved into second place, separated by a slim margin, using only one set of soft tires to reach Q3.
Alonso carried strong pace and a clear sense of the track evolving in his favor for the deciding session, while Verstappen tightened the screws with another strong lap, clocking 1:17.056. He led the way by a margin of about two tenths over Alonso, thanks in part to Red Bull’s advantage in the second sector at Albert Park, a sector that proved decisive against the AMR23. Carlos Sainz climbed to third on the final lap, ahead of Leclerc. Nico Hülkenberg, Ocon, Tsunoda, de Vries, and Norris also advanced to Q3, while Kevin Magnussen’s form dipped enough to keep him out of the final shootout.
Verstappen’s relentless push for pole
Forecasts warned of rain in the closing minutes, turning qualifying into a chess match as the headline contenders pushed to the limit. Verstappen, described by some as a missile on track, chased the pole despite not beating his Q2 time in the closing moments of the lap. Alonso had briefly led the session with a time of 1:17.303, only for Hamilton to snatch it by a thousandth, before Verstappen reasserted control with 1:17.262 in the closing stages. The weather added urgency to every decision, especially the final runs of the session.
In the final push before possible rain, Verstappen, Hamilton, Alonso, and Russell were all within the same tenth, with the Ferraris lined up behind. As Pérez exited the scene, Red Bull held the advantage. Verstappen delivered a spectacular final lap of 1:16.732 to claim his second pole of the season after taking victory in Bahrain. Alonso finished about four tenths behind, while the two Mercedes drivers edged into second place behind the Dutchman, leaving Carlos Sainz in fifth for the start in Melbourne. The result marked a strong grid and set the stage for an open, intensely contested race on Sunday.
With the grid taking shape, anticipation built for the Australian Grand Prix, where teams would look to translate pole position into race pace and strategic advantage. The storylines extended beyond the front row, as several drivers sought to maximize their performance through tire choices, weather forecasts, and early-season momentum. The Melbourne circuit, famed for its weather quirks and evolving grip, promised a compelling contest as teams prepared for the lights to go out. [Source: DAZN coverage and session reports.]
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