Verstappen surprised by Red Bull pace in Australian GP qualifying

Dominika Jordan
Mar 15, 2025, 05:44 AM ET

Albert Park, Melbourne - After grappling with setup issues during practice sessions, Max Verstappen expressed his surprise at the performance of his Red Bull car on Saturday, as the reigning Formula 1 champion secured third place in qualifying for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.

Verstappen will be starting alongside Mercedes' George Russell and behind the McLaren duo of pole-sitter Lando Norris and the local favorite Oscar Piastri.

"We had a bit of a tough start," acknowledged Verstappen in the post-qualifying press conference. "This has never really been a good track for us, so it took some time to find improvements today. I’m quite surprised to be here after yesterday. I felt confident and at one with the car."

He added, "Of course, it was lacking a bit of pace, but overall, I’m happy with the laps in qualifying. Today was a bit faster, but clearly still not fast enough. However, to be ahead of Ferrari and Mercedes is good for us."

With rain forecasted for Sunday, Verstappen is optimistic about his chances to challenge the McLarens for the top spot and kick off the new season with a victory. Despite not expecting any major improvements in race-day pace, he remains confident.

"I don’t expect any miracles regarding long-run pace; I think it’s okay, but not on the same level as McLaren. I'll just do my best and see what happens tomorrow," said Verstappen.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner commended Verstappen for a "decent" qualifying performance, noting that the car lost some pace to their rivals in the final sector of the Albert Park track.

"I think we've got a good, solid platform to work from for the season ahead," said Horner. "We're not optimal with the car yet ... we lose a little bit in the last couple of corners. So, I think we've got plenty to work on."

Verstappen’s new teammate, Liam Lawson, had a challenging debut, being eliminated in the first session of qualifying. The New Zealander struggled, going off track multiple times during practice and requiring repairs to the floor of his car.

Red Bull’s principal, Christian Horner, sees a solid foundation for the season ahead, while teammate Liam Lawson faced a tough debut, exiting early in qualifying.