George Russell claimed pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as Mercedes locked out the front row with rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli, while reigning champion Max Verstappen crashed out in the first qualifying session.

Russell produced a superb lap at Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, clocking a time of 1:18.518 to finish 0.293 seconds ahead of the young Italian, who remarkably bounced back after suffering a huge crash during final practice earlier on Saturday.

The result marked Mercedes’ first pole position in Melbourne since Lewis Hamilton achieved the feat in 2019.

“It was a great day, we knew there was a lot of potential in the car,” Russell said after qualifying.
“It really came alive this afternoon. Also really happy that Kimi’s here… All in all a pretty good day.”

Antonelli’s front-row position, however, could still face scrutiny. At the start of Q3, parts from a cooling fan dropped off his hastily repaired car. Lando Norris ran over one of the pieces, sending debris flying and forcing a red flag, with stewards investigating the incident.

Behind the Mercedes pair, Isack Hadjar impressed to secure third on the grid for Red Bull Racing, while Charles Leclerc placed fourth for Ferrari.

Home favourite Oscar Piastri and defending world champion Norris completed the top six for McLaren.

“It’s been a very, very stressful day,” Antonelli admitted, referring to the earlier practice crash that also triggered a red flag.
“But the guys today were the heroes, to put the car back on the track.”

The season opener has presented a steep learning curve for drivers due to significant chassis and power unit changes, placing greater emphasis on managing power deployment and energy regeneration.

Verstappen endured the biggest setback of qualifying. During his first flying lap in Q1, the Dutch driver locked up at Turn 1, slid through the gravel, and crashed heavily into the barrier.

The four-time world champion vented his frustration over the team radio before climbing out of the car unharmed.

“The car just locked on the rear axles. Fantastic,” said Verstappen, who finished runner-up in last year’s championship.

The damage means Verstappen will start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid—or potentially the pit lane—depending on the extent of repairs required.

Elsewhere, Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin F1 Team was knocked out in Q1, along with both drivers from the new Cadillac Formula One Team entry, Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas.

Alonso’s teammate Lance Stroll was unable to take part in qualifying after Aston Martin ran out of time to rebuild his car following earlier repairs, while Carlos Sainz of Williams Racing also missed the session.