Two drivers have received grid penalties after a hectic qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix – but Red Bull star Sergio Perez was not one of them.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton says his Mercedes is a ‘rattlesnake’ as the multiple world champion eyes a shock podium.
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Bizarre crash interrupts GP Qualifying | 00:57
Third-place starter Perez escaped a penalty after being investigated for allegedly failing to respect single yellow flags during qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix.
But Alex Albon will start last on the grid after his Williams ran out of fuel in qualifying, where he initially qualified 16th. That meant he was set to start second-last due to a three-place grid penalty for a crash with Lance Stroll at the prior race in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. But after stopping on the track in qualifying, his team was unable to provide the FIA with the required liter of fuel. That saw him disqualified from the session and bumped down one further place to last.
Albon’s penalty also means Stroll will start second-last despite earning a penalty of his own. The Canadian qualified last and also picked up a three-place grid penalty for causing a bizarre crash with the second Williams driven by Nicholas Latifi. But Albon’s disqualification from the session supersedes Stroll’s penalty, so Stroll will start 19th despite his nightmare qualifying performance.
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Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton is eyeing a shock podium for Mercedes despite the team being well off the pace in the opening two rounds.
Hamilton qualified 16th and finished 10th in Saudi Arabia, which he labeled “really, really tough”. But he was buoyant after qualifying fifth in Melbourne – despite driving a ‘spiteful’ car he likened to a ‘viper’.
“I feel like my lap, I feel like there was a little more in the car so that is a positive,” said Hamilton.
“I am also naturally gutted that I wasn’t able to extract that little bit but the problem is when you push that car a little bit more she is quite spiteful, she is like a viper or like a rattlesnake, you never know.”
Looking ahead to the race (where Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz is starting a lowly ninth), Hamilton said: “Well then that means we’ve got a good fight up front and there are potential podiums possible – who knows? I am just going to be battling as hard as I can, try and get off the line as well as I can.”
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