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Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen suffers shock crash in Australian GP qualifying

That's a miserable start to the season for the four-time F1 champion.

Max Verstappen suffered a shock crash in qualifying for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Just past the midway point of the opening Q1 session at Melbourne's Albert Park, and without a time to his name at that stage, the Red Bull driver embarked on a flying lap.

Heading down the start-finish straight, and approaching the first corner, the RB22 flipped around underneath the four-time F1 champion under braking.

That spun Verstappen around, leading to him bouncing across the Turn 1 gravel trap and into a barrier. It led to immediate retirement and a red-flag to the session.

Asked over the radio if he was okay, Verstappen replied: "The car just locked on the f*****g rear axles! Fantastic!"

Verstappen will now start at the back of the grid for Sunday's race.

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RESULTS 2026 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Qualifying