Lando Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri slid onto the grass in an eventful F1 race in Melbourne. Lewis Hamilton finished 10th in Ferrari debut.

I don’t expect miracles, but I think it’s OK,” said Verstappen when asked about the RB21’s race pace after qualifying. “Not on the same level [as Norris and Piastri], but I’ll just do my best and see what happens tomorrow.

Max Verstappen had been leading the world championship since the inception of the current ground effect era in 2022.

After struggling with setup issues through Australian Grand Prix practice, Max Verstappen was surprised by his Red Bull car's performance on Saturday as the Formula 1 defending champion took third place in qualifying for the season-opening race.

It was a mixed bag of a curtain raiser for Red Bull Racing as Max Verstappen just missed out on victory in the Australian Grand Prix, while debutant Liam Lawson crashed out. Reigning world champion Verstappen was trapped between McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for much of the opening stint in wet conditions in Melbourne,