Verstappen powers to Australian GP pole as Perez hits disaster

Max Verstappen has taken his first Australian GP Pole Position ahead of the George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, with teammate Sergio Perez crashing out of Formula 1 qualifying. Red Bull's championship leader appeared to have an increased threat from Mercedes and Aston Martin, but a last-minute lap of 1:16.732 gave the Dutchman a two tenth advantage. In a qualifying session which saw drivers completing multiple laps on the same tyres due to the low wear, the competitors completed as many as 29 laps in a busy qualifying hour. Behind the surprise top three appearances for Mercedes, Fernando Alonso fell short…

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