Max Verstappen cruises Red Bull to Australian Grand Prix pole position

Max Verstappen cruised Red Bull to the 2024 Australian Grand Prix pole position after an intense showdown against Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz at the Albert Park Circuit on Friday.

Verstappen once again showed his dominance at the circuit as the Dutchman defeated Sainz by nearly three-tenths in the Q3 shootout sessions.

While Sainz recorded the fastest time of Q2 by two-tenths, Verstappen saved his energy and stepped up when it mattered the most to secure yet another pole position in Melbourne.

However, the biggest upset of Friday’s session was when Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q2 after finishing 0.059 seconds behind George Russell, as he finished 11th on the grid which was his lowest starting position in Melbourne since 2010.

Talking after his win, Verstappen opened up saying that it was a bit unexpected as it was a “tricky” weekend.

“It was a bit unexpected today, but I am very happy with Q3,” said Verstappen. “Both of my laps felt nice and enjoyable. It was a tricky weekend so far but we managed to be there at the end.

“They (Ferrari) seem very quick in the long runs so there is a question mark over tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, Sainz, who underwent an appendix surgery in Saudi Arabia no more than two weeks ago, stated that he is having a tough time as he is not in his “most comfortable” state following the operation.

“It has been a tough couple of weeks, a lot of days in bed, waiting to see if I would be here today, and to make it to this weekend and then to put it on the front row, I almost didn’t believe it,” Sainz said.

“I was rusty yesterday but I got up to speed and found the pace and I feel good with the car.

“I am not going to lie, I am not in my most comfortable state when I am driving out there but I can get it done. I have a lot of wired feelings, but no pain, so I will go flatout.”

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