After struggling with setup issues through Australian Grand Prix practice, Max Verstappen was surprised by his Red Bull car's performance on Saturday as the Formula One defending champion took third place in qualifying for the season-opening race.

Yuki Tsunoda was one of the stand-out performances in Australia, qualifying in a fantastic 5th for VCARB. The Japanese driver was in contention for a top 6 finish on race day, only for a strategic blunder at VCARB’s pit-wall to cost him.

It was a mixed bag of a curtain raiser for Red Bull Racing as Max Verstappen just missed out on victory in the Australian Grand Prix, while debutant Liam Lawson crashed out. Reigning world champion Verstappen was trapped between McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for much of the opening stint in wet conditions in Melbourne,