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F1 LIVE: Max Verstappen starts on pole in Australian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen has threatened to turn his back on Formula One if the sport’s bosses press ahead with plans to expand the number of sprint events.

The shortened-race format was first introduced at three rounds in 2021, and has been doubled to six for this year, with the first of the season taking place in Azerbaijan at the end of the month.

In its current guise, Friday qualifying determines the grid for Saturday’s dash. The result of the sprint then establishes the order for Sunday’s Grand Prix. But Saturday’s schedule could now see an additional qualifying session set the grid for the sprint. Friday’s qualifying result would then be the starting order for Sunday’s main event.

The change in format could even be introduced at the next round in Baku with an informal meeting of the grid’s major players set to take place in Melbourne before Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix. But Red Bull driver Verstappen, who starts from pole position in Albert Park on Sunday, said: “I hope there won’t be too many changes, otherwise I won’t be around for too long.

Follow live reaction from F1 qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix

F1 QUALIFYING - AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX

Goodbye - see you tomorrow!

15:17 , Kieran Jackson

Thanks for joining us for our F1 live blog on a day when Max Verstappen claimed pole in Australia - before threatening to quit the sport!

Join us again tomorrow for all the action at Albert Park - lights out is at 6am (BST)! So set your alarms!

‘It is not worth it’: Max Verstappen threatens to quit Formula 1

14:29 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen has threatened to turn his back on Formula One if the sport’s bosses press ahead with plans to expand the number of sprint events.

The shortened-race format was first introduced at three rounds in 2021, and has been doubled to six for this year, with the first of the season taking place in Azerbaijan at the end of the month.

In its current guise, Friday qualifying determines the grid for Saturday’s dash. The result of the sprint then establishes the order for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

But Saturday’s schedule could now see an additional qualifying session set the grid for the sprint. Friday’s qualifying result would then be the starting order for Sunday’s main event.

The change in format could even be introduced at the next round in Baku with an informal meeting of the grid’s major players set to take place in Melbourne before Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.

“I hope there won’t be too many changes, otherwise I won’t be around for too long,” Verstappen said.

More below:

‘It is not worth it’: Max Verstappen threatens to quit Formula 1

George Russell says Mercedes ‘have to go for the win’ in Australian Grand Prix

14:14 , Kieran Jackson

George Russell said Mercedes must target victory at Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix following their surprise qualifying performance in Melbourne.

Championship leader Max Verstappen raced to pole position with a track record at Albert Park, but the revival of the Silver Arrows raised hope that the Dutchman might not have it all his own way this season.

Russell will line up alongside Verstappen on the front row, lapping 0.236 seconds slower than the Red Bull man, with Lewis Hamilton third in the other Mercedes.

Fernando Alonso starts fourth for Aston Martin, while Sergio Perez, a winner in Saudi Arabia a fortnight ago, qualified last after he beached his Red Bull.

Mercedes have endured a poor start to the year. On the eve of the first race in Bahrain, team principal Toto Wolff sent alarm bells ringing when he said he was ready to consign this season’s car to the rubbish bin.

George Russell says Mercedes ‘have to go for the win’ in Australian Grand Prix

Sergio Perez to start Australian Grand Prix in last place after qualifying nightmare

13:50 , Kieran Jackson

Sergio Perez will start dead-last in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix after a Saturday to forget at Albert Park.

The Red Bull driver, who won two weeks ago in Saudi Arabia, was constantly lurching off the track in third practice earlier on Saturday.

But it got even worse for the Mexican in qualifying as he locked up at turn three in the first few minutes of Q1 in Melbourne.

Perez beached his car in the gravel and was unable to spin his Red Bull out of the trap and, having not set a flying lap, will start P20 for Sunday’s race.

“We need to sort that issue man, it’s the same f****** issue man,” he exclaimed over team radio to his race engineer, as his team-mate and Championship rival Max Verstappen claimed pole position.

Sergio Perez to start Australian Grand Prix in last place after qualifying nightmare

Fire breaks out in pit lane and interrupts George Russell interview

13:28 , Kieran Jackson

A huge fire broke out in the pit lane at Albert Park on Saturday just after Formula 1 qualifying.

George Russell, who qualified second behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen, was conducting an interview in the media pen before attention turned to the television screens.

At the start of the Supercars event taking place on track following qualifying, James Courtney’s front left wheel caught fire.

Courtney entered the pit lane, by which point the flames had engulfed the entire car as it grinded to a halt.

The driver was able to escape unscathed as marshals looked to put out the fire.A huge fire broke out in the pit lane at Albert Park on Saturday just after Formula 1 qualifying.

Fire breaks out at Australian GP and interrupts George Russell’s interview

Toto Wolff, speaking after Russell P2 and Hamilton P3:

13:07 , Kieran Jackson

“She was nice today! We need to be careful with gender! We got it together this weekend, right mechanical setup, I’m happy.

“Good starting second and third. It’s been a while since no one in front of our line in P2, Verstappen is a league of his own but we can slot in. We needed a bit of happiness and for the Saturday at least we got that.”

Max Verstappen claims pole position for the Australian Grand Prix - RACE REPORT:

12:41 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen saw off a spirited Mercedes fightback to put his Red Bull on pole position for the Australian Grand Prix.

Verstappen beat George Russell to top spot by 0.236 seconds to claim his second pole of the year and 22nd of his career.

Lewis Hamilton will line up in third position, one place ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez starts last after he crashed out.

Mercedes have endured a poor start to the new season, but the Silver Arrows suddenly find themselves in contention for a surprise victory at Melbourne’s Albert Park with Russell leading their charge.

Hamilton was just nine thousandths adrift of Verstappen before the final runs, but preparations for his last lap were disrupted when he got caught up behind Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg. Although the seven-time world champion improved on his time, he was unable to join Verstappen on the front row with Russell edging out his team-mate by one tenth.

Verstappen grabs pole position for Australian Grand Prix but Mercedes on front row

‘It is not worth it’: Max Verstappen threatens to quit Formula 1

12:10 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen has threatened to turn his back on Formula One if the sport’s bosses press ahead with plans to expand the number of sprint events.

The shortened-race format was first introduced at three rounds in 2021, and has been doubled to six for this year, with the first of the season taking place in Azerbaijan at the end of the month.

In its current guise, Friday qualifying determines the grid for Saturday’s dash. The result of the sprint then establishes the order for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

But Saturday’s schedule could now see an additional qualifying session set the grid for the sprint. Friday’s qualifying result would then be the starting order for Sunday’s main event.

The change in format could even be introduced at the next round in Baku with an informal meeting of the grid’s major players set to take place in Melbourne before Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.

“I hope there won’t be too many changes, otherwise I won’t be around for too long,” Verstappen said.

More below:

‘It is not worth it’: Max Verstappen threatens to quit Formula 1

George Russell says Mercedes ‘have to go for the win’ in Australian Grand Prix

11:54 , Kieran Jackson

George Russell said Mercedes must target victory at Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix following their surprise qualifying performance in Melbourne.

Championship leader Max Verstappen raced to pole position with a track record at Albert Park, but the revival of the Silver Arrows raised hope that the Dutchman might not have it all his own way this season.

Russell will line up alongside Verstappen on the front row, lapping 0.236 seconds slower than the Red Bull man, with Lewis Hamilton third in the other Mercedes.

Fernando Alonso starts fourth for Aston Martin, while Sergio Perez, a winner in Saudi Arabia a fortnight ago, qualified last after he beached his Red Bull.

Mercedes have endured a poor start to the year. On the eve of the first race in Bahrain, team principal Toto Wolff sent alarm bells ringing when he said he was ready to consign this season’s car to the rubbish bin.

George Russell says Mercedes ‘have to go for the win’ in Australian Grand Prix

11:27 , Kieran Jackson

A reminder of the starting grid for the Australian Grand Prix!

1) Max Verstappen

2) George Russell

3) Lewis Hamilton

4) Fernando Alonso

5) Carlos Sainz

6) Lance Stroll

7) Charles Leclerc

8) Alex Albon

9) Pierre Gasly

10) Nico Hulkenberg

11) Esteban Ocon

12) Yuki Tsunoda

13) Lando Norris

14) Kevin Magnussen

15) Nyck de Vries

16) Oscar Piastri

17) Zhou Guanyu

18) Logan Sargeant

19) Valtteri Bottas

20) Sergio Perez

‘It is not worth it’: Max Verstappen threatens to quit Formula 1

11:09 , Kieran Jackson

More from Max Verstappen:

“And even if you change the format, I don’t find that is in the DNA of Formula One to do these kind of sprint races.

“F1 is about getting the most out of it in qualifying and have an amazing Sunday over a long race distance. That is the DNA of the sport and I don’t understand why we need to change that.

“How do you get even more action? Get the cars closer, and have more teams fighting for the wins. The show would then be great if we had six or seven teams fighting for the win.

“That would be insane and then you wouldn’t need to change anything.”

‘It is not worth it’: Max Verstappen threatens to quit Formula 1

10:49 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen’s quotes in full:

“I hope there won’t be too many changes, otherwise I won’t be around for too long.

“I am not a fan of it at all. When we do all that kind of stuff, the weekend becomes very intense and we already do a lot of races. But it is not the right way to go about it.

“I understand they want to make every day at the track exciting but they should reduce the weekend, and only race on Saturday and Sunday and make those two days exciting.

“We are heading into seasons where we could have 24 or 25 races and if you then start adding more it is not worth it for me. I will not enjoy that.”

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

‘It is not worth it’: Max Verstappen threatens to quit Formula 1

10:33 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen has threatened to turn his back on Formula One if the sport’s bosses press ahead with plans to expand the number of sprint events.

The shortened-race format was first introduced at three rounds in 2021, and has been doubled to six for this year, with the first of the season taking place in Azerbaijan at the end of the month.

In its current guise, Friday qualifying determines the grid for Saturday’s dash. The result of the sprint then establishes the order for Sunday’s Grand Prix.

But Saturday’s schedule could now see an additional qualifying session set the grid for the sprint. Friday’s qualifying result would then be the starting order for Sunday’s main event.

The change in format could even be introduced at the next round in Baku with an informal meeting of the grid’s major players set to take place in Melbourne before Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix.

‘It is not worth it’: Max Verstappen threatens to quit Formula 1

Sergio Perez to start Australian Grand Prix in last place after qualifying nightmare

10:12 , Kieran Jackson

Sergio Perez will start dead-last in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix after a Saturday to forget at Albert Park.

The Red Bull driver, who won two weeks ago in Saudi Arabia, was constantly lurching off the track in third practice earlier on Saturday.

But it got even worse for the Mexican in qualifying as he locked up at turn three in the first few minutes of Q1 in Melbourne.

Perez beached his car in the gravel and was unable to spin his Red Bull out of the trap and, having not set a flying lap, will start P20 for Sunday’s race.

“We need to sort that issue man, it’s the same f****** issue man,” he exclaimed over team radio to his race engineer, as his team-mate and Championship rival Max Verstappen claimed pole position.

Sergio Perez to start Australian Grand Prix in last place after qualifying nightmare

Fire breaks out in pit lane and interrupts George Russell interview

09:47 , Kieran Jackson

A huge fire broke out in the pit lane at Albert Park on Saturday just after Formula 1 qualifying.

George Russell, who qualified second behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen, was conducting an interview in the media pen before attention turned to the television screens.

At the start of the Supercars event taking place on track following qualifying, James Courtney’s front left wheel caught fire.

Courtney entered the pit lane, by which point the flames had engulfed the entire car as it grinded to a halt.

The driver was able to escape unscathed as marshals looked to put out the fire.A huge fire broke out in the pit lane at Albert Park on Saturday just after Formula 1 qualifying.

Fire breaks out at Australian GP and interrupts George Russell’s interview

Max Verstappen, after qualifying on pole:

09:21 , Kieran Jackson

“All weekend it’s been hard to get the tyres to push but it all came together in Q3 - looking forward to tomorrow now.

“Normally not, we continue to fine-tune. Almost hit a bird, luckily that didn’t happen, tomorrow we’ll have a good race car, going to be an interesting race.

“I’ve been on the podium once, I want to be on a different step this time.”

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton, after qualifying in P3:

09:04 , Kieran Jackson

“I’m so happy with this. To be on the top-2 rows is a dream for us, to be this close to Red Bull is a dream!

“I’m not disappointed, super greatful for this position and will try to improve!

What’s your target? “To get to first! I’ve been hoping like the first turn of first year, 2007, I don’t know who remembers that!”

All smiles at Mercedes!

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Max Verstappen claims pole position for the Australian Grand Prix - RACE REPORT:

08:52 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen saw off a spirited Mercedes fightback to put his Red Bull on pole position for the Australian Grand Prix.

Verstappen beat George Russell to top spot by 0.236 seconds to claim his second pole of the year and 22nd of his career.

Lewis Hamilton will line up in third position, one place ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez starts last after he crashed out.

Mercedes have endured a poor start to the new season, but the Silver Arrows suddenly find themselves in contention for a surprise victory at Melbourne’s Albert Park with Russell leading their charge.

Hamilton was just nine thousandths adrift of Verstappen before the final runs, but preparations for his last lap were disrupted when he got caught up behind Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg. Although the seven-time world champion improved on his time, he was unable to join Verstappen on the front row with Russell edging out his team-mate by one tenth.

Verstappen grabs pole position for Australian Grand Prix but Mercedes on front row

How do I watch highlights from qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix?

08:39 , Kieran Jackson

The entire race schedule from Saturday to Sunday will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event in the UK. It will be broadcasted on ESPN in the United States.

Highlights will be aired on Channel 4; for qualifying at 11:50am (BST) on Saturday morning and the race at 12:30pm on Sunday.

A reminder of the starting grid for the Australian Grand Prix!

08:26 , Kieran Jackson

1) Max Verstappen

2) George Russell

3) Lewis Hamilton

4) Fernando Alonso

5) Carlos Sainz

6) Lance Stroll

7) Charles Leclerc

8) Alex Albon

9) Pierre Gasly

10) Nico Hulkenberg

11) Esteban Ocon

12) Yuki Tsunoda

13) Lando Norris

14) Kevin Magnussen

15) Nyck de Vries

16) Oscar Piastri

17) Zhou Guanyu

18) Logan Sargeant

19) Valtteri Bottas

20) Sergio Pere

George Russell, speaking again after P2:

08:15 , Kieran Jackson

“The car felt alive, team have been doing an amazing job. We haven’t brought any upgrades. It’s really exciting, we know we’ve got more in the locker - feeling more comfortable in the car and the feeling.

“There’s so much you can do with the setups. When you maximise everything together, you’re able to make a big jump - that’s what this team does best. Pretty happy.

How do you stop Max? “No idea to be honest! We were still three-tenths behind. Really challenging, more pace in the race than qualifying - half-a-second delta on a good day. It won’t matter what we do, he’s going to have the upper hand.”

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner (Verstappen P1, Perez P20):

08:08 , Kieran Jackson

“These conditions have made it incredibly tricky. Outstanding job from Max - it was getting the optimum lap, getting the temperature in the tyres...”

On Perez: “He’s had a horrible day. The plan in P3 was to run differently to Max. He never recovered from P3. To lock up and go off, we’re checking all the data to see if there’s something in the engine management - going through all that data as we speak. Trying to ensure if there is something it’s not there tomorrow.”

“Max was up to P2 halfway into the race in Jeddah - stay out of trouble. Checo as Max have two hard tyres tomorrow. If that proves to be the more dominant tyre, that could prove to be crucial in the race tomorrow.”

On this year’s Red Bull: “We’re one point off a maximum score in two races, we’ve got some work to do tomorrow. Third pole in a row - to say it’s our best car? We’ve had some mighty cars over the years but it’s right up there. When we head back to Europe, sizable upgrades from other teams, the delta is much smaller here than on other tracks and we’ll see that into the European season.”

Sergio Perez, qualifying P20:

08:00 , Kieran Jackson

“Really bad. Terrible day. In FP3 we had this issue, thought we fixed it, but we didn’t. Hope for race day we will fix it, otherwise it’s difficult to fix it.

“Won’t give too much detail. We need to overcome this problem and fix it for tomorrow.

“Minimise the damage [for tomorrow].”

Carlos Sainz, after qualifying P5:

07:55 , Kieran Jackson

How will he pass Alonso? “Hopefully clean side gives me an advantage.

“Top-five is usually clean, it’s always fun, we’re pushing flat out.”

Fernando Alonso, after qualifying P4:

07:49 , Kieran Jackson

“Mercedes were very fast in Jeddah and FP2 - they are always fast. If you read their comments, it’s like they have a car out of Q3 but they have a quick car!

“There are many unknowns in the race, temperature will be difficult, no one is fully ready so I think tomorrow we will discover who has better pace and management. Let’s see if Mercedes can have a good start and pass Max otherwise it will be a boring race for him out front!”

Alex Albon, qualifying P10:

07:41 , Kieran Jackson

“We have the big dogs in front of us but we were the next best. Surprising! We worked hard, came up with a gameplan, executed it! Very smooth session!

“We’re coming into this weekend with no one really doing a proper race run, bit more unknown. We’d love to be aggressive but there’s quicker cars behind us. We started 20th last year and got points, so why not more points this year!

“Aston grab the headlines because of the jump they made, we’re a bit more discreet. It’s closed up so much now, two-tenths is putting us in the top-10. Every race feels like a chance - the motivation is we can do this, creates that lovely energy in the team.”

Toto Wolff, speaking after Russell P2 and Hamilton P3:

07:34 , Kieran Jackson

“She was nice today! We need to be careful with gender! We got it together this weekend, right mechanical setup, I’m happy.

Good starting second and third. It’s been a while since no one in front of our line in P2, Verstappen is a league of his own but we can slot in. We needed a bit of happiness and for the Saturday at least we got that.”

What is the starting grid?

07:27 , Kieran Jackson

1) Max Verstappen

2) George Russell

3) Lewis Hamilton

4) Fernando Alonso

5) Carlos Sainz

6) Lance Stroll

7) Charles Leclerc

8) Alex Albon

9) Pierre Gasly

10) Nico Hulkenberg

11) Esteban Ocon

12) Yuki Tsunoda

13) Lando Norris

14) Kevin Magnussen

15) Nyck de Vries

16) Oscar Piastri

17) Zhou Guanyu

18) Logan Sargeant

19) Valtteri Bottas

20) Sergio Perez

Lewis Hamilton, after qualifying in P3:

07:22 , Kieran Jackson

“I’m so happy with this. To be on the top-2 rows is a dream for us, to be this close to Red Bull is a dream!

“I’m not disappointed, super greatful for this position and will try to improve!

What’s your target? “To get to first! I’ve been hoping like the first turn of first year, 2007, I don’t know who remembers that!”

All smiles at Mercedes!

George Russell, after qualifying in P2:

07:16 , Kieran Jackson

“We weren’t expecting that... I was disappointed that we didn’t get pole, expectations change so quickly in this sport. Car feels awesome, we’ve definitely got potential.

“It must be the jet lag programme we’re doing. We’ll take it, excited for tomorrow, tough against Max, very excited to be lining up P2.”

Max Verstappen, after qualifying on pole:

07:15 , Kieran Jackson

“All weekend it’s been hard to get the tyres to push but it all came together in Q3 - looking forward to tomorrow now.

“Normally not, we continue to fine-tune. Almost hit a bird, luckily that didn’t happen, tomorrow we’ll have a good race car, going to be an interesting race.

“I’ve been on the podium once, I want to be on a different step this time.”

George Russell over team radio!

07:11 , Kieran Jackson

“Not too shabby! I thought our car was a second off the pace!”

Hello hello!

That makes things a little bit interesting...

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Max Verstappen is on pole for the Australian Grand Prix!

07:10 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen claims pole - by two-tenths to... George Russell in second! And Lewis Hamilton in third!

Great day for Mercedes!

4-10: Alonso, Sainz, Stroll, Leclerc, Albon, Gasly, Hulkenberg

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Max Verstappen still quickest (2:00 left)

07:07 , Kieran Jackson

Every car now out on track apart from Alex Albon as they all look to set their fastest final laps!

Who will be on pole?! Current top-3: Verstappen, Hamilton, Alonso

Max Verstappen goes quickest early in Q3! (5:00 left)

07:04 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen goes fastest - by 0.009 seconds! It could be the 2021 foes on the front row!

Most cars now in the pits as they switch to fresh tyres!

Current top-10: Verstappen, Hamilton, Alonso, Russell, Sainz, Leclerc, Albon, Gasly, Hulkenberg, Stroll

Lewis Hamilton goes quickest early in Q3! (7:00 left)

07:02 , Kieran Jackson

Wow! Who saw that coming?!

Lewis Hamilton goes 0.032 seconds quicker than Fernando Alonso in second! Max Verstappen all the way down in sixth!

George Russell in third - Sainz fourth, Leclerc fifth!

Can Hamilton get his first pole since Saudi Arabia in December 2021?!

We’re underway with Q3!

06:58 , Kieran Jackson

It’s now time for the top-10 shootout at Albert Park!

Leclerc’s engineer tells his man: “We think the rain might hit us in the last three or four minutes.”

So they’re all straight out on track, aside from Lance Stroll!

Who can get the quickest lap in before some potential rain falls?

Oscar Piastri, qualified in P16, speaking to Sky F1:

06:55 , Kieran Jackson

“We adjusted the front wing a little bit and maybe wasn’t the best for the track conditions improving, maybe a bit of inexperience on my side. Small tweak, it wouldn’t have cost us too much I think.

“All weekend it’s been difficult to get the first lap going with the tyres because it’s so cold. Red flag was awkwardly timed. What we did was fine, but not quite good enough.”

Lando Norris is out of qualifying!

06:51 , Kieran Jackson

Lando Norris does not make it! A shake of the head from Zak Brown on the McLaren pit wall - he’s only P13!

Alex Albon does make it for Williams in P10!

Also out (11-15): Ocon, Tsunoda, Magnussen, De Vries

Top-3: Verstappen, Alonso, Sainz

Now time for Q3!

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Lando Norris in real trouble in Q2 in Melbourne (3:00 left)

06:47 , Kieran Jackson

The McLaren driver is four-tenths down on 10th place - and has a brush with gravel in sector three!

He’s currently in 12th.

Bottom-five currently (11-15): Gasly, Norris, Tsunoda, Magnussen, De Vries

8-10: Hamilton, Albon, Ocon

Max Verstappen fastest still; Fernando Alonso in second is still in the garage, he thinks he’s safe!

Last few minutes now... who’ll be in the top-10?!

Max Verstappen goes fastest in Q2 (8:00 left)

06:42 , Kieran Jackson

Despite his team-mates issues, Max Verstappen having no issues in his Red Bull - he goes fastest in Q2!

Fernando Alonso is in second, three-tenths down, with Charles Leclerc in third.

Currently in the danger-zone (11-15): Tsunoda, De Vries, Norris, Ocon, Gasly

8-10: Russell, Albon, Magnussen

Rain? Still no sign. Looks like it’ll hold off...

Sergio Perez to start Australian Grand Prix in last place after qualifying nightmare

06:38 , Kieran Jackson

Sergio Perez will start dead-last in Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix after a Saturday to forget at Albert Park.

The Red Bull driver, who won two weeks ago in Saudi Arabia, was constantly lurching off the track in third practice earlier on Saturday and was only sixth-fastest.

But it got even worse for the Mexican in qualifying as he locked up at turn three in the first few minutes of Q1 in Melbourne.

Perez beached his car in the gravel and was unable to spin his Red Bull out of the trap and, having not set a flying lap, will start P20 for Sunday’s race.

“We need to sort that issue man, it’s the same f****** issue man,” he exclaimed over team radio to his race engineer.

Sergio Perez to start Australian Grand Prix in last place after qualifying nightmare

Q2 is underway at Albert Park! (15:00 left)

06:35 , Kieran Jackson

After a gripping Q1 in Melbourne, it’s now over to Q2 at Albert Park - and again a massive queue at the end of the pit lane!

Most cars out straight away, apart from the Mercedes cars and the Alpines!

Who will make the top-10 shootout? No rain as of yet...

Oscar Piastri is out of qualifying at his home race!

06:30 , Kieran Jackson

Not a good session for hometown hero Oscar Piastri - he’s out of qualifying!

The Aussie is only 16th-fastest and misses out by 0.006 seconds - so so painful!

Also out: Zhou, Sargeant and Bottas all the way down in P19. Perez in P20. Lando Norris escapes!

Verstappen quickest, Russell second-fastest and Alonso third!

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Verstappen still quickest with Alonso second and Albon third! (3:00 left)

06:24 , Kieran Jackson

This is a mental session! Nobody is pitting!

Max Verstappen is fastest, with Fernando Alonso three-tenths down and Alex Albon in third for Williams!

But, what’s more crucial, is the bottom-five - 16-20: Piastri, De Vries, Tsunoda, Bottas, Perez (no time)

Lando Norris in the danger-zone in 15th - last few minutes now!

Max Verstappen goes fastest in Q1 (7:00 left)

06:20 , Kieran Jackson

Tell you who’s done a good lap here - Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg!

The German set his lap before the red flag and is a tenth down on Max Verstappen in P3 - and Alex Albon goes even quicker, to go P2!

Lewis Hamilton only seventh, with Charles Leclerc eighth!

This track constantly evolving - and it’ll get quicker as the tyres warm up too!

Fernando Alonso on a quick one now...

Back underway with qualifying in Melbourne!

06:16 , Kieran Jackson

Sergio Perez OUT - and now a bit of a queue at the end of the pit lane at Albert Park!

Many cars have not set times yet! Max Verstappen was on a flying lap before the red flag due to his team-mate being beeched in the gravel!

Verstappen and both Mercedes cars on scrub tyres for the time being!

Sergio Perez is in the gravel - RED FLAG! (11:44 left)

06:08 , Kieran Jackson

Oh no! It’s game over for Sergio Perez!

A massive lock-up at turn 3 - and he’s beeched in the gravel!

The session is red flagged - and that’ll be it for Perez’s qualifying! He’ll start in P20!

“We need to sort that issue man, it’s the same f****** issue man!” he says over team radio!

A real hit to his Championship hunt!

We’re underway in Q1!

06:06 , Kieran Jackson

Rain not falling heavily yet but there’s still a queue at the end of the pit lane - headed by both Williams cars - as we’re underway with Q1!

Not everyone out straight away, mind. A few different weather forecasters out there?!

Logan Sargeant spins off in sector three on his out lap early on!

It’s just started raining in Melbourne!

05:56 , Kieran Jackson

Oh this could be exciting!

It’s wet, cold and windy at Albert Park - it’d certainly make qualifying very interesting in wet-ish conditions!

Meanwhile, just five minutes from qualifying, after Sergio Perez’s shocker of a third practice when he was really struggling with the car, his Red Bull is still under heavy work in the garage!

Tense!

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Max Verstappen was quickest in FP3

05:52 , Kieran Jackson

In another chaotic practice session in Melbourne, Max Verstappen was fastest earlier today - 0.162 seconds than Fernando Alonso in second.

Esteban Ocon was third, while Sergio Perez was all the way down in six and finding it very difficult at Albert Park.

Lewis Hamilton was eighth. Here’s a full classification!

P.S. Look at Lando Norris down in 20th!

Daniel Ricciardo makes bold prediction as he targets Formula 1 return

05:45 , Kieran Jackson

Daniel Ricciardo is confident his Formula One dream is not over and said: “If I really want to return to the grid, I will make it happen”.

Ricciardo is spending this season on the sidelines after he was dumped by McLaren following two lacklustre years with the British team.

The 33-year-old is back in the paddock for this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in his role as Red Bull reserve driver.

However, the eight-time race winner’s options for a full-time seat next year, certainly with a front-rank team, appear limited.

Alan Jones, the 1980 world champion, this week said he cannot see his compatriot returning to F1. Jones, Australia’s last world champion, also said Ricciardo spent too much time concentrating on activities outside of the cockpit rather than in it.

Daniel Ricciardo makes bold prediction as he targets Formula 1 return

Fans react to F1 CEO’s desire to cancel practice sessions

05:36 , Kieran Jackson

Formula 1 fans have reacted with mostly dismay after the prospect of practice sessions being cancelled in the future was raised by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.

A normal race weekend consists of three one-hour practice sessions, two on Friday and one on Saturday prior to qualifying, with the race on Sunday.

But Domenicali, with a view to attracting more competition when cars are on track, says he supports the cancellation of free practice and “a lot of things are on the table” with a view to change the race weekend schedule in the future.

Six of the 23 race meets this season are sprint weekends where the schedule will consist of one hour of practice on Friday, followed by qualifying, with a second practice on Saturday prior to the sprint race – a race one-third the distance of the usual number of laps for that circuit – and the normal grand prix on Sunday.

“I am a supporter of the cancellation of free practice sessions which are of great use to the engineers, but that the public doesn’t like,” Domenicali told Portuguese outlet SportTV at the opening event of the MotoGP season on Sunday.

F1 fans ‘devastated’ by plan to change grand prix weekends

Fernando Alonso leads the way as rain soaks second practice in Australia - FP2 REPORT:

05:27 , Kieran Jackson

Fernando Alonso clocked the fastest time in Friday’s rain-hit second practice session for the Australian Grand Prix.

Championship leader Max Verstappen set the pace from Lewis Hamilton in the earlier dry running at Melbourne’s Albert Park. But it was Alonso who ended the day on top after he went fastest in his Aston Martin before heavy rain arrived 10 minutes into the one-hour session.

The double world champion, 41, who completed only 13 laps, finished four tenths clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Verstappen was third, six tenths back, with George Russell fourth for Mercedes. Hamilton finished 13th, 1.4sec adrift, after he failed to post a clean lap with the slick rubber.

Earlier, the opening running of the weekend was red-flagged on two occasions, firstly when the GPS systems went down at the temporary track and then in the closing minutes as Logan Sargeant broke down in his Williams.

Fernando Alonso leads the way as rain soaks second practice in Australia

Lewis Hamilton makes weekend prediction after Friday practice

05:07 , Kieran Jackson

Asked what he could accomplish in qualifying on Saturday, Hamilton said: “We won’t be competing against the Red Bulls.

“It’s just about trying to compete as high as possible, fifth if possible - same as the last race.”

The seven-time world champion finished in a dry first practice on Friday but 13th in a wet-affected FP2 later in the afternoon.

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

Sergio Perez responds after accusations Max Verstappen’s dad snubbed Saudi GP victory

04:57 , Kieran Jackson

Sergio Perez said he has patched up his differences with title rival Max Verstappen’s father following his victory snub in Saudi Arabia.

Perez heads into the third round of the season in Melbourne just one point behind his teammate in the standings, and is effectively Verstappen’s sole championship challenger given the dominance of Red Bull’s machinery this season.

A fortnight ago in Jeddah, Jos Verstappen sparked a social media storm when he kept a straight face and failed to offer a congratulatory handshake to Perez as the Mexican celebrated with his Red Bull mechanics.

Max Verstappen finished runner-up to Perez after he started 15th following a driveshaft failure in qualifying.

The footage portrayed a divided Red Bull camp, but speaking to the PA news agency, Perez insisted: “I have a good relationship with Jos. We respect each other. We know this is sport, and that is how we treat it.

“We shook hands but they probably didn’t show that. I saw a few things were written on social media, but sometimes people like to create stories that don’t exist.”

Perez responds after accusations Verstappen’s dad snubbed Saudi GP victory

Daniel Ricciardo shaped void will take some filling by Oscar Piastri at Australian GP

04:50 , Kieran Jackson

Feature by Kieran Jackson

It may surprise you to know that Formula 1’s all-time grand prix attendance record – all the way back to 1950 – is not at one of Europe’s trademark tracks. Nor is it in the United States, the sport’s new epicentre which is staging three races this year. It is in fact in Australia: 520,000 over four days in Adelaide in 1995.

In modern-day terms, however, this year is significant for Adelaide’s substitute since 1996, Albert Park in Melbourne. While the US Grand Prix in Austin brought in 440,000 punters last year, the 2023 Australian Grand Prix is expected to bring in a figure 10,000 north of that over the four days of running, with support races taking to the track yesterday.

Yet for a country so in love with sport, and sporting idols, a new hometown hero has entered the fray in Formula 1, as another falls by the wayside.

Credit to Daniel Ricciardo. On the whole, having raced in Formula 1 for 11-and-a-half years before his brutal axing by McLaren last year, the 33-year-old has conducted himself impeccably despite his career spiralling downhill quicker than anyone – let alone he - envisaged.

In the end, a ‘third driver’ seat at his former employers Red Bull was all that was left. A no-brainer for the constructors’ champions given Ricciardo’s marketing aura and, lo and behold, the Aussie was seen speaking and mingling at numerous hospitality events on Friday.

Ricciardo shaped void will take some filling by Piastri at Australian Grand Prix

Australian Grand Prix qualifying incoming!

04:47 , Kieran Jackson

Good morning - who’s up?!

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix!

Red Bull have taken pole position in the first two races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia - can anyone challenge them today at Albert Park!

Stay right here for all the build-up and live updates - qualifying starts at 6am (BST)!

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)