Red Bull air concern over 'very brutal' Max Verstappen incident

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has expressed concern over the Australian Grand Prix qualifying crash that has left Max Verstappen with an uphill struggle to score a respectable season-opening result.

Verstappen will start from 20th on the grid at Melbourne's Albert Park after the rear brakes on his RB22 locked on entry into the first corner as he embarked on his first push lap, sending him hurtling across the gravel and into a barrier.

The incident has only added to Verstappen's apathy with F1's new cars, with their management making it a joyless experience so far for the four-time F1 champion.

Mekies was certainly left far from happy with what he saw in the build-up to the crash. He said: "What happened to Max is obviously very unfortunate, and the most important thing is that he is okay.

"At the moment, we are still trying to fully understand what happened. The loss of grip he had to deal with looked very brutal and unusual. We will need to take a deeper dive into the data and analyse everything carefully."

On the flip side, on his qualifying debut for the team, Isack Hadjar delivered a superb P3 behind an all-Mercedes front row spearheaded by George Russell.

With Verstappen out of the picture, Hadjar delivered where other 'number two' drivers have failed in the past by stepping up when needed.

"We all know how challenging and competitive this sport is; therefore, qualifying P3 today is a great reward for all the hard work behind the scenes done in the last four years, on the PU side, of course, but also on the chassis side to tackle these new regulations," said Mekies.

"It was a fantastic day for Isack. Qualifying P3 is a huge moment for him. He has put an incredible amount of work in over the winter, and to see that effort translate into a result like this is very special, not just for him, but for the entire team."