Verstappen asserts his dominance, Mercedes returns and Fernando Alonso aims for a podium in Melbourne

Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull), who is aiming for a third title in a row, has confirmed that he is the man to beat in the Formula 1 World Cup, and this Sunday he will start first (7 hours, Dazn +, Dazn 1 and Dazn2) at the Australian Grand Prix; where the once tyrannical Mercedes seemed to re-emerge, in qualifying which saw Spain’s Fernando Alonso, who will be looking for his third successive podium in his third race with Aston Martin, finish fourth.

Verstappen, 25, signed the twenty-second pole of his career dominating Melbourne qualifying; in which, on soft tires, in the best lap of the third and last round, he covered 5,278 meters of the Australian track in one minute, 16 seconds and 732 thousandths. Exactly 236 less than George Russell and 372 ahead of the other Englishman from Mercedes, the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who will start from the second row alongside Alonso, who is four tenths behind Mad Max “Happy” he left Albert Park where he signed, in his opinion, “the best of the three held time trials” this year.

The Asturian double world champion, who will open the second edition in Spain at the age of 41 alonsomaniahe will aim again, on the track where in 2006 – in the season of his second title – one of his 32 victories in the premier class, he aimed for the podium that his compatriot Carlos Sainz also wants. The Madrid man from Ferrari was half a second behind his first partner in F1 (2015 also in Toro Rosso, currently Alpha Tauri) and the fifth will start in a race that will be met from last place by another Red Bull, that of Mexican Sergio Pérez, who was eliminated in the first exchange.

Checo, who is coming off a win in Saudi Arabia and is second in the World Cup (one point behind Verstappen’s 44s) had an accident – with no physical consequences – and was ruled out in the first round (Q1), so he will have to look for a return from Red Bullom whose talent is Mad Max became powerful again this Saturday in Oceania.

Verstappen has never won in Melbourne

Hours before flying to a circuit where he has yet to win, but where he is aiming for his 37th victory this Sunday, Verstappen – who was fastest in Friday’s first test – set the fastest time in the final free practice, just 162 thousandths ahead in front of Alonso – the fastest in second – who continues to invite his followers to dream; something he has been doing not only since the start of the course, but since pre-season testing.

The great Asturian driver, who is returning to the track where he made his debut 22 years ago, increased to a hundred, two Sundays ago in Jeddah, the number of podiums in Formula 1; the category in which he first climbed the ladder 20 years ago – in the season of his first victory, in Hungary in 2003 – and in which he recorded his last victory so far almost ten years ago: in front of his fans, at the Spanish Grand Prix. In Montmel (Barcelona). The track, which will again be full to the brim on the first weekend of next June.

Czech, at 558 thousand; and Sainz, four thousandths above the Mexican, placed sixth and seventh respectively in the time table of the last free practice, in which the two Alpinacs of the Frenchman Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were third and fifth; and Russell, fourth.

With an ambient temperature of 15 degrees Celsius (and 22 on the tarmac), roughly ten degrees below the average for this time of year in Melbourne – where summer has just ended – and with the threat of rain, the main qualifying sessions of the third Grand Prix of 23 which make up the World Cup, which will end on November 26 in Abi Dhabi.

Exit of the Czech railway

In Q1, Checo, who took his fifth win in the prestigious motorsport division, spun off the track, causing a red flag. Runner-up in the World Championship -just one point behind his teammate-, Pérez lost control of his Red Bull in the third of 14 corners of the semi-urban Albert Park track and caused a red flag stoppage in the first round; for a crane to remove his car from an area where he had already noticed problems during the last free session, held hours before last Friday.

Along with Checo, the two Alfa Romeos of Finn Valtteri Bottas – double world runner-up when he was driving a Mercedes – and Chinese Guanyu Zhou also fell in the first exchange; as well as Australian rookie Oscar Piastri (McLaren), racing at home in his third Grand Prix as an F1 driver.

In the round in which Alonso, third in the World Cup, is 14 points behind Mad Max and Sainz – fourth, 24 behind – won the fifth and seventh sets, respectively.

Verstappen improved his own time and by 227 thousandths over Alonso and 293 over Carlos – second and third in that round – he was fastest in Q2, in which Ocon and Englishman Lando Norris (McLaren) were most outrageously eliminated.

A high probability of rain was announced in the last gasp of the third round, which did not happen; so everyone tried to ensure a dry, as soon as possible, return of guarantees. Red Bull has so much left that Verstappen made it clear from the start that pole position would be his Down Under.

The new sports idol of the Netherlands limited himself only to training, and left the fight for other places of honor to others.

Mercedes surprise

Those places remained – which is great news for the championship – Mercedes. In front of two Spaniards; and Canadian Lance Stroll, the Asturian star’s new team-mate, aware that Red Bull’s pace is “second league”, but who declared himself happy that two of the Silverstone team’s cars finished in the top six this Saturday.

Monegasque Charles Leclerc, Sainz’s colleague at Ferrari, will start seventh in Melbourne: alongside the Thai Alex Albon (Williams), and in front of Gasly and the German Nico Hülkenberg (Haas), who will start from the fifth row in the race which, according to Spanish peninsular time, will start at seven in the morning (05:00 GMT). 58 laps are planned to complete the 306.1 kilometer route. And that again promises strong sensations.