Shock in Melbourne as Max Verstappen crashes out of Q1 at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix. Read about the rear axle failure, the red flag, and the updated starting grid.
Watch — Max Verstappen Crashes Out in Q1 at Australian GP | F1 Melbourne 2026 (Image Source: X)
The 2026 Formula 1 season kicked off with chaos at Albert Park on Saturday, March 7. Max Verstappen crashed out in the very first part of qualifying. He went into the new technical era looking strong, but things unravelled fast. The four-time world champion lost control of his Red Bull RB22 at Turn 1, smashed into the barriers, and the red flags flew. Now he’s starting the Australian Grand Prix from the very back, not exactly how he wanted to begin his chase for another title.
Max Verstappen is OUT of Qualifying, with no time set! 😳
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 7, 2026
This is the moment where the Red Bull driver spins into the wall at Turn 1 👇#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/M2XKoapEMl
Red Bull Racing couldn’t believe their eyes when their top driver spun out just eight minutes into Q1. The RB22’s telemetry told the story: as Verstappen braked hard for Turn 1, the car suddenly locked up the rear axles. Something mechanical just quit on him, and the car whipped straight into a wild spin, tearing through the gravel and smashing into the tyre wall.
Verstappen climbed out unharmed. Still, he shook his right hand and wrist, probably just being careful. Martin Brundle from Sky Sports was quick to point out this wasn’t Verstappen’s fault. Since Verstappen hadn’t even managed a timed lap, he was out in P20, his earliest qualifying exit in ages.
Whilst Max Verstappen was dealing with serious problems, Mercedes indicated the beginning of a new era of dominating performances. George Russell comfortably grabbed the pole position with an outstanding performance, and he was supported by rookie sensation Kimi Antonelli for the great Silver Arrows 1-2. Considering the team had only two hours to do a complete rebuild of Antonelli's car after his heavy crash during FP3, his performance was very admirable.
