Max Verstappen was left annoyed following his crash in Q1 at the Australian Grand Prix, with the Red Bull man heard swearing on team radio shortly after the incident.
On Saturday (7 March), the first qualifying session of the 2026 F1 campaign took place in Melbourne, Australia, with the Mercedes duo George Russell (1:18.518) and Kimi Antonelli finishing first and second fastest at the Albert Park Circuit.
Meanwhile, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar secured third on the grid, followed by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and the McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and reigning world champion Lando Norris.
Seven-time F1 title winner Lewis Hamilton settled for seventh, while Racing Bulls pair Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad will be eighth and ninth on the grid ahead of tomorrow’s season opener. Audi driver Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top 10.
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However, Red Bull driver and four-time champion Verstappen crashed on the first lap. The 28-year-old lost control of the car and hit the wall after running through the gravel. This resulted in a red flag which temporarily halted the session.
Verstappen was reportedly taken to hospital for precautionary checks but has since returned to the paddock.
Following the incident, radio footage emerged with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase asking if he was okay, but Verstappen responded: “Yeah, the car just ******* locked on the rear axles, fantastic.”
Then shortly after the crash, the Red Bull man elaborated on what happened when he spoke to Sky Sports.
"I didn't speak to the team yet or look into any data, but to lose the car like that on the braking, I've never experienced that in my life,” he explained.
"I hit the pedal and suddenly the whole rear axle just completely locked up, so definitely a bit weird."
When asked exactly what happened he replied: "I think it already went wrong before the downshift because as soon as I hit the pedal because you quite quickly downshift right, it already immediately locked on the bit of the brake pressure. Something very weird, that's for sure.”
Verstappen did not set a time in Q1 and will start tomorrow's race at the back of the grid.
Australian Grand Prix fastest qualifying times
George Russell (Mercedes) – 1:18.518
Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +0.293
Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – +0.785
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.809
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.862
Lando Norris (McLaren) – +0.957
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +0.960
Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – +1.476
Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – +2.729
Topics: Formula 1, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Motorsport
Luke Davies