Red Bull superstar Max Verstappen can equal his own Formula One record for most wins in a row when he starts as hot favourite to clinch his second straight Australian Grand Prix.
The three-time defending champion continues to take all before him after starting 2024 as strongly as he finished last season.
He has secured pole for Sunday’s race.
Verstappen has won nine straight races, dating back to the Japanese Grand Prix last September.
Victory at Albert Park would take him level with his own record, set when he won 10 straight from Miami to Monza last year.
Verstappen won 19 races last season – the most in F1 history – on his way to a third straight title to completely dominate the rest of the field.
Ferrari has been making ground on Red Bull, but other teams are virtually conceding they have no chance of toppling Verstappen.
The Dutchman and Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez have gone 1-2 in the first two races of the season, in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Australian rising star Oscar Piastri will have the crowd behind him on Sunday.
But the 22-year-old McLaren driver believes the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers would need to make a mistake for him to secure a fairytale podium place.
Piastri will line up in fifth spot, with his teammate Lando Norris starting from third, in a marked improvement for McLaren compared to this time last year.
Fellow Australian Daniel Ricciardo was left licking his wounds following a disappointing return to Albert Park for the first time since 2022.
The RB driver looked to have made it out of Q1, but his lap time was deleted and he will start from 18th on the grid.
Sunday’s race will start at 3pm (AEDT).
GRID FOR AUSTRALIAN FORMULA ONE GRAND PRIX
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
3. Lando Norris (McLaren)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
6. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
7. George Russell (Mercedes)
8. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
9. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
10. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
Source – AAP News
