Max Verstappen secured pole position for the Australian Grand Prix after seeing off a strong challenge from Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in Melbourne.
For a long time, Fernando Alonso looked like he would be the biggest threat to the Dutchman in qualifying. But the two Mercedes drivers put aside their struggles in the early weeks of this new Formula 1 season to mount a stern challenge for pole at Albert Park.
Russell outqualified his team-mate Hamilton for a third-straight race, but neither of them could topple Verstappen who had a shaky session overall but still did enough to go fastest. His Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, however, will start the race at the opposite end of the grid.
