Australian GP: Verstappen takes third consecutive pole in 2024

Feature Image Credit: Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen has secured his third consecutive pole position of 2024 alongside Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who will start in P2.

Only 19 drivers will contest qualifying, at Australia’s Albert Park Circuit, this weekend after Williams was forced to withdraw one of their cars due to Alexander Albon’s crash in FP1. As such, Albon will compete in the race weekend in Logan Sargeant’s car as the team looks to maximise their result.

Sargeant’s withdrawal adjusts the elimination zone for Q1 as only four drivers would be knocked out, instead of the usual five.

Q1

Albon was the first driver to venture out onto the track and naturally set the benchmark time, a 1m 18.709s but this was soon deleted for exceeding track limits. On the exit of turn 10, Albon suffered a snap of oversteer which dragged the car over the white line. 

As the lap times continued to tumble some drivers were put under investigation by race control. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg were being investigated for impeding whilst Alpine’s Pierre Gasly was set to be investigated for crossing the pit exit line. 

Mercedes looked to have a worrying moment as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton had poor laps on their first runs but fortunately, they continued on to progress into Q2.

One of two home heroes, RB’s Daniel Ricciardo was set to progress to Q2 but he was demoted – and knocked out of qualifying – as he exceeded track limits at turn five. At the same time, Kick Sauber’s Guanyu Zhou has suffered some damage to his front wing which left him down in P19.

Eliminated:

19. Gunayu Zhou, Kick Sauber

18. Daniel Ricciardo, RB

17. Pierre Gasly, Alpine

16. Nico Hulkenberg, Haas

Q2

When the pit exit light turned green, returning driver Carlos Sainz led the pack out onto the circuit. The Spaniard set the benchmark on his first lap but this was immediately beaten by Verstappen who jumped to the top of the timing boards by 0.2s. 

The second home hero and the only remaining Australian in qualifying, Oscar Piastri of McLaren, put in an impressive lap to go second fastest. However, by the chequered flag the Australian dropped to P4, three places ahead of his teammate Lando Norris who finished P7. 

It was not the qualifying performance Mercedes would’ve wanted as both their drivers ran extremely close to the elimination zone as the chequered flag came out. Russell was ninth whilst Hamilton was 10th, but a late lap from Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll knocked the latter out of qualifying and down to P11.  

Eliminated:

15.Esteban Ocon, Alpine

14. Kevin Magnussen, Haas

13. Valtteri Bottas, Kick Sauber

12. Alexander Albon, Williams

11. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

Q3

In the remaining 12 minutes of qualifying, a flurry of cars peeled out of the pit lane and the recovering Sainz set the provisional pole benchmark onto the board. This benchmark was immediately reset as Verstappen moved into P1 with a lap time which was two-tenths faster. 

Alonso had to pit, for floor inspections, after he nearly lost his AMR24 into turn six. The Spaniard went into the corner too hot and blasted across the gravel trap but he was able to get the car back onto the road. 

In the dying minutes, Stroll was the first car to peel out onto the track for his first-and-final shot in Q3 but he could only best P8 provisionally, and he soon settled into ninth for the race ahead of Alonso.

On their final attempts to dethrone Verstappen from the top spot, both Sainz and Perez were setting purple sectors but neither could beat the Dutchman who had improved his lap time on the final run.

Leclerc, who looked to be one of the favourites to fight for pole, pitted on his final lap after he made a mistake on his final run in the final sector. 

Top 10

10. Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin

9. Lance Stroll, Aston Martin

8. Yuki Tsunoda, RB

7. George Russell, Mercedes

6. Oscar Piastri, McLaren

5. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

4. Lando Norris, McLaren

3. Sergio Perez, Red Bull

2. Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

1. Max Verstappen, Red Bull

That’s all for the article; Australian GP: Verstappen takes third consecutive pole in 2024!

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Australian GP: Leclerc fastest in final practice ahead of Verstappen and Sainz
• A concerning picture for Williams following Albon/Sargeant switch
• Albon to compete Australian GP in Sargeant’s car
• Australian GP: Leclerc fastest in undisrupted FP2 ahead of Verstappen
• Norris fastest in Australian GP FP1 as Albon crashes out
• Susie Wolff files ‘criminal complaint’ against the FIA

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