George Russell storms to pole as Max Verstappen suffers qualifying crash nightmare

George Russell stormed to pole position at the Australian Grand Prix, as Max Verstappen grabbed the headlines after crashing out in the opening part of qualifying.

Russell topped each part of qualifying to secure the first pole of F1's new era, while an adventurous session for Kimi Antonelli saw Mercedes lock out the front row.

However, Antonelli does face a trip to the stewards for multiple incidents involving the Italian. While Verstappen was not in the fight for the top positions following his crash, Isack Hadjar claimed third on the grid.

Concerningly, Hadjar was 0.785s adrift of Russell, while Lewis Hamilton was almost a full second behind in seventh.

Q3 - Mercedes fears come true

The final part of qualifying started in bizarre fashion, as a red flag was quickly required after Mercedes released Antonelli with a cooler still attached to either side of the car.

Both quickly fell off, with one left stranded on the circuit, which was moments later hit by Norris, obliterating it across the track. Mercedes is under investigation.

The fight for pole resumed once the debris had been cleared, with Russell setting the initial benchmark to beat with a 1m 19.084, five-tenths clear of Norris in second.

Each driver had one opportunity left after being fitted with fresh soft tyres, with Russell having moved the time to beat to a 1m 18.518.

Nobody was able to get close to Russell's lap time, although Antonelli jumped to second but was still three-tenths adrift. Hadjar was next in third, but eight-tenths behind.

Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Norris, Hamilton, Liam Lawson and rookie Arvid Lindblad completed the top nine, with Gabriel Bortoleto in 10th after not setting a lap in Q3.

Q2 - Late Hamilton lap needed

All eyes were on Hamilton going into the final five minutes of the second part of qualifying, as the seven-time world champion found himself at the bottom of the timesheets in 16th.

The Briton had lost considerable time in the middle sector, causing him to bail out of his laps at the start of the session.

However, Hamilton did post a lap that was enough to make it into the final part of qualifying in the closing minutes, although he was comfortably adrift of the leading pace.

It was Russell who yet again set the pace with a 1m 18.934, while Nico Hulkenberg, Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon and Franco Colapinto were eliminated.

There was drama even after the chequered flag, as Audi's Bortoleto, who had made it into the top 10, ground to a halt at the pit entry, forcing him out of qualifying in P10.

Q1 - Verstappen crash shock

As the first qualifying session of the season and the new power unit regulations got underway, a big question was whether Kimi Antonelli, Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll would even set a lap.

Stroll missed final practice due to another Honda issue, Sainz ground to a halt, and Antonelli had a huge crash. All three faced a repair race against the clock — a clock which froze due to a red flag after Verstappen crashed at the first corner on his first hot lap.

The Dutchman's rear axle locked as he entered the first corner, resulting in a trip through the gravel and into the barrier. Concerningly, he was seen checking his hands after keeping them on the steering wheel.

Mercedes did manage to get Antonelli's car repaired and out on track, while Sainz and Stroll remained in the pits and, as a result, out of qualifying.

By the end of Q1, it was Russell at the top with a 1m 19.507, while Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Verstappen, Sainz and Stroll were eliminated. Despite being eliminated, Aston Martin and Cadillac were within 107% of Russell's lap.