At Mercedes, they hadn’t expected the front row of the grid after the course of the season so far. “The round was really good,” said Russell. “It must have something to do with our jet lag program,” joked the 25-year-old. “Now we want to fight for victory. Max will be extremely fast, there’s no doubt about that. Overtaking is difficult at this track, so the start and the first lap will be very important.”
“Completely unexpected,” commented seven-time world champion Hamilton. “To be so close to Red Bull is really unbelievable.” Despite the lower speed, Verstappen wants to make life difficult on Sunday. “We have to expect that they (Red Bull, note) will be a quarter of a second, half a second faster,” said the Briton. “But maybe we can put some pressure on a Red Bull with strategy together.”
Verstappen is holing Pole
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen tackles the Australian Grand Prix from pole position, with the surprisingly strong Mercedes duo lurking behind.
Team boss Toto Wolff is also looking forward to the race with some confidence. “We needed a bit of luck and at least for Saturday we got some of it. We tried to increase the car’s performance by finding the right mechanical set-up,” said the Viennese. “Verstappen is clearly in a league of his own, but hopefully we can rank behind it.”
Verstappen on his own
With the 22nd pole position of his career – the first in Melbourne – world champion Verstappen has created a good starting position for the first victory in Albert Park, but support from his own team is unlikely to happen on Sunday. Because Sergio Perez, who is only one point behind the Dutchman after the first two races of the season, slipped into the gravel trap early in qualifying due to a technical problem and will start the race from last place on the grid.
“It will definitely be an interesting race tomorrow,” Verstappen therefore remained cautious. His best finish in Australia so far was a third place in 2019. The only win for Red Bull in Melbourne so far was Sebastian Vettel, who retired after last season, in 2011. The German also finished second with the team a year later, plus a third place in 2013.
Brake problems at Perez
Despite Verstappen’s strong performance, Perez’s botched qualifying left Red Bull with a drop of bitterness. His car had a problem with the engine control in the third practice session, explained Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko. The braking was not the right setting. In the race it will be very difficult to work your way up the field. “Despite the DRS, overtaking is incredibly difficult. We don’t really know yet how we’re going to get him forward.”
In addition to Mercedes, Fernando Alonso, who was fourth in qualifying, will also want to have a say in the Aston Martin. The first Ferrari only lined up behind the Spaniard, who was third in the World Championship standings. Carlos Sainz starts in fifth place, last year’s winner Charles Leclerc in seventh place. In between, Lance Stroll placed in the second Aston Martin. While Alexander Albon in the Williams, Alpine pilot Pierre Gasly and Nico Hülkenberg in the Haas also made it into the top ten, Oscar Piastri, who grew up in Melbourne, missed the second qualifying section in the McLaren in 16th place.