Pole position qualifier Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Circuit on March 23, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson | Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, Australia — Following the opening practices on Friday, the Formula 1 grid shifted their focus towards the final practice session and qualifying ahead of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. placed first and third on Friday’s FP2, sandwiching Max Verstappen in the Red Bull Racing in second place.
During first practice on Friday, Verstappen ran wide at Turn 10, sustaining damage to his floor and chassis. It was later confirmed that Verstappen’s team had installed a new power unit in his vehicle overnight, prior to the qualifying session.
The early benchmark was set by Sergio Perez in the Red Bull as he crossed the line with a 1:19.206 on the timesheet. The two Red Bulls of Verstappen and Perez reported brake issues early on in the session, stating that the brakes “are not biting”. Subsequently, Sainz gained the lead, setting a new record of 1:16:791 on medium compounds before switching to soft. Upon crossing the line, Leclerc delivered Ferrari the second-fastest time. The Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton was also said to be missing out on 1.1 seconds of speed on the straights compared to Verstappen, grasping a 1:18.6 on his soft compounds.
Full attention was on Williams the day prior, after Alex Albon’s FW46 crashed during the FP1. Without a spare chassis to remedy the severe damage to Albon’s car, the team made the call to put teammate Logan Sargeant on the sidelines and hand Albon his car. The final practice session concluded with Albon securing 13th, recording 1:17.759 on the sheets.
As the checkered flag waved to end FP2, Leclerc narrowly managed to keep his Ferrari at the top of the timesheets with a stunning lap time of 1:16.714, besting Red Bull’s Verstappen in second and teammate Sainz in third.
Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Scuderia Ferrari leaving the FIA garage after qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Circuit on March 23, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Kym Illman | Getty Images)
Ahead of qualifying, the odds seemed to be in the favor of the two Ferraris after promising practice session results. Verstappen flashed out onto the track, setting a time of 1:17.478 in the first stint of Q1 before improving to 1:16.819 in the final laps of the same session. Lando Norris in the McLaren reached the top-four in his first flying lap, following teammate and home favorite Oscar Piastri in third.
Daniel Ricciardo, who initially placed tenth in Q1, had his lap time deleted after exceeding track limits, knocking him into the elimination zone alongside Nico Hülkenberg’s Haas, Pierre Gasly’s Alpine, and Zhou Guanyu’s Kick Sauber. Gasly was also seen to be crossing the line near the pit lane exit and was investigated ahead of the qualifying session.
Q2 commenced with Verstappen setting a benchmark of 1:16.387, only 0.284-seconds ahead of Sainz. Norris managed to claim the fastest time in Sector 1, before he lost time in the last sector and secured fourth. Teammate Piastri scooped 0.214s behind Verstappen, placing second. Sainz climbed into the charts after gaining 0.198s ahead of Verstappen – P1 for the Spaniard. Q2 had a surprising end as Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes failed to proceed to Q3 by 0.059s, getting knocked out by Yuki Tsunoda’s Visa Cash App RB. Tsunoda slipped through Q3 with an improvement of 0.0602 seconds. Albon’s Williams, Valtteri Bottas’ Kick Sauber, Kevin Magnussen’s Haas and Esteban Ocon’s Alpine tailed him within the elimination zone.
Sainz’s Ferrari set the fastest Sector 1 time of 26.301s on his first flying lap of Q3, securing a 1:16.331 for the Spaniard. Verstappen’s Red Bull bumped 1:16.048, taking over Sainz’s position. Alonso barged into the gravels in Turn 6, instantly pitting after having yet to set a time. Verstappen then sat for provisional pole position as he landed a 1:15.915. Meanwhile, Leclerc in the Ferrari reported a difficult car to drive that went from understeering to oversteering, before he decided to pit and abort his final flying lap.
Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 on track during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Albert Park Circuit on March 23, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone | Getty Images)
Verstappen concluded the qualifying session in pole position, followed by Sainz’s Ferrari in second and Perez’s Red Bull in third. Norris’ McLaren followed behind the group with a recorded time of 1:16.315 ahead of Leclerc’s Ferrari. Melbourne-native Piastri will be starting Sunday’s race in sixth, ahead of George Russell in the Mercedes and Tsunoda’s RB in seventh and eighth, respectively. The two Aston Martins of Lance Stroll and Alonso rounded off qualifying in ninth and tenth.
Considering the domination of Red Bull Racing, it comes as no surprise that Verstappen is yet again on pole for the third round of the 2024 season. Or will the promising pace from Ferrari carry the possibility for them to snatch a win and close out a successful weekend?
