Max Verstappen has edged out an improving Mercedes to secure pole position for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.
With Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez having won in Saudi Arabia, Verstappen was under pressure to bounce back ahead of the third race of the season.
After Perez spun out in Q1, it quickly became apparent that the Dutchman had an opportunity to seize the initiative, and the defending champion did not disappoint in topping the leaderboard.
However, Verstappen was provided with different company on the front row than he may have expected after George Russell emerged as the best of the rest.
The British driver finished less than a quarter of a second behind Verstappen, while also getting the better of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton who will be satisfied with third on the grid.
Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso continued his excellent start to the season by qualifying as fourth fastest, with his teammate Lance Stroll backing up the Spaniard in sixth.
Tasty starting grid 😋#AusGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/LOSz7ucTuj
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 1, 2023
The Ferrari pair of Carlos Sainz Jr and Charles Leclerc had to make do with fifth and seventh place respectively, less than ideal with their team already down in fourth position in the constructors' standings.
Williams' Alex Albon, Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Haas' Nico Hulkenberg completed the top 10 in Melbourne.
Perez, who sits just one point adrift of Verstappen in the standings, finds himself at the back of the grid, and it is already damage limitation in terms of staying as close to his teammate as possible come the end of the weekend.
Darren Plant
