Topics: Formula 1, Australia, Max Verstappen, George Russell
Martin Brundle believes something that hasn't happened in 18 years could occur during the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.
Mercedes dominated qualifying at Albert Park on Saturday, with George Russell securing pole position ahead of Silver Arrows team-mate Kimi Antonelli.
Reigning champion Lando Norris was only sixth, having sustained front wing damage in Q3 after striking a loose cooling device that had dislodged itself from Antonelli's car.
Max Verstappen, meanwhile, span off the circuit in Q1 after his car suffered a software glitch, meaning he will start the race from 20th on the grid.
Advert
The new power units for 2026, which creates more reliance on energy deployment and conservation around each lap, is causing discontent among drivers, with Verstappen claiming he is 'not enjoying it at all' when describing how it feels to drive the cars.
Aston Martin have developed a serious power unit problem whereby excessive vibrations are risking permanent nerve damage to the drivers' hands.
Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, missed qualifying altogether after his Williams developed an ERS issue, while Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto broke down in the pit entry after making Q3.
And Brundle, who is again co-commentating for Sky Sports F1 this season, believes that anyone who finishes the Grand Prix on Sunday could end up scoring points.
That would require 12 cars to be unable to finish the race - something which is unprecedented in modern F1 terms.
The last time such an occurrence took place was, coincidentally, at the same Grand Prix 18 years ago.
F1 introduced several regulation changes ahead of the 2008 season - one of which was the removal of traction control.
A turn one collision wiped out five of the 22 cars before the end of the first lap, before Felipe Massa drove into the side of David Coulthard's Red Bull on lap 26.
Toyota's Timo Glock had a high-speed accident out of turn 10 towards the end of the race, with his car briefly launching into the air.
Immediately after the restart, Robert Kubica was forced to retire after contact with Kazuki Nakajima, leaving just nine runners to attempt to fill the eight points-scoring positions.
Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastien Bourdais both suffered engine failures in the closing laps to reduce the field to seven, with Honda's Rubens Barrichello later retrospectively disqualified for a pit lane infringement.
