Formula 1 in Australia: Max Verstappen hits the right moment and takes pole

The Dutch Max VerstappenWorld Cup leader Formula 1will be released for the first time this Sunday on Australian Grand Prixthe third of the year, held in Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne; where next to him the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) will start from the front row and the Mexican Sergio Pérez, the other Red Bull, will start from third place.

Verstappen, 26, signed his thirty-fifth pole position in F1 third of the seasondominating the qualifying held in the early hours of this Saturday, in whose third and decisive lap (Q3) he covered the 5,278 meters of the Melbourne track in one minute, 15 seconds and 915 thousandths, 270 less than Sainz and 359 ahead of about ‘Ceco ‘.

The striking fact is that Carlos Sainz underwent emergency surgery for appendicitis two weeks ago. “I felt good. It’s impossible to be one hundred percent, after being in bed for seven or ten days. But today I felt no pain, just some discomfort; and I was able to push hard,” he explained, during the official press conference of the FIA,” explained the Spaniard, who missed the second test of the year, in Saudi Arabia, due to that surgery.

Alonso, who was one second and 637 thousandths adrift – like the previous ones, with the soft tire – will start from the fifth row, together with his teammate, the Canadian Lance Stroll, who starts ninth in Australia.

The Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – fifth in qualifying – and the Australian Oscar Piastri (McLaren) will start from the third row.

Immediately behind them, in fourth place, will be the Englishman George Russell (Mercedes) and the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda (RB), eighth in qualifying this Saturday.

At the end of Q2 there was a moment of shock, when the Englishman Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) was eliminated. The seven-time world champion will start from eleventh place on the grid, after making a small mistake at the penultimate corner.