Max Verstappen is going to have a difficult time at the Formula 1 Australian GP. In this Saturday’s (7) qualifying, the driver crashed, failed to set a time, and will have to start from the back of the pack.
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The 2026 season did not start in the ideal way for the four-time champion. In Q1 of the qualifying session in Melbourne, while on his first lap attempt, he went off track, spun, and hit the wall at turn 1, damaging his car.
As a result, the competitor was unable to complete any timed laps and fell by the wayside, starting from the back of the grid. In comparison, Isack Hadjar managed to reach Q3 and will start from third place, on the second row of the pack in Melbourne.
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“Today’s accident was very strange. I stepped on the brake at the entry of turn one and the rear axle locked up completely. I’m fine, and that’s the most important thing. I went to the medical center, had a scan on my hands and everything is fine. I need to talk to the team, analyze the data and find out what went wrong, as I’ve never experienced this before,” he said.
“Congratulations to Isack, who did a great job in qualifying. Tomorrow, I’ll start from the back of the grid and try to move up positions. Obviously, it’s not ideal, but we can try for sixth or seventh place, although I still don’t know how easy it will be to overtake the other cars,” he added.
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