McLaren star crashes in qualifying at Australian Grand Prix

A McLaren star has crashed during their first qualifying session of the 2025 season, as Formula 1 gears up towards the Australian Grand Prix.

The Woking-based outfit head into the first race of the season as reigning champions and one of the favourites, with Lando Norris setting the fastest time in FP1.

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Both Norris and Oscar Piastri finished in the top three in FP2, with the crowd home favourite going on to end FP3 at the top of the timesheets.

Despite receiving some indication of who will be fastest in free practice, the true pace of the field is yet to be unleashed, with the first qualifying session of the season expected to be a thrilling showdown between the top teams.

McLaren star crashes in F3 at Australian Grand Prix

Whilst F1’s Australian Grand Prix weekend is only just ramping up, the Formula 2 and 3 competition is already well underway with their grids already set for their respective sprint and feature races.

In F3, Rafael Camara took pole position in a red flagged session, where a McLaren development driver endured a dramatic crash.

Brando Badoer, son of former F1 driver Luca Badoer, spun in his PREMA at Turn 2, where the rear of his car collided with the barriers which promptly saw a red flag being deployed.

The 18-year-old’s car was retrieved by the marshals, ending his first qualifying session in F3 where he will start 19th on the grid, behind PREMA team-mate and fellow McLaren junior driver Ugo Ugochukwu.

Badoer’s best single-seater championship finish was in this year’s Formula Regional Middle East Championship, where he finished fourth and claimed a race victory at Yas Marina Circuit.

Van Amersfoort Racing’s Santiago Ramos claimed victory in the F3 sprint race, securing his first win in the series.

READ MORE: Daniel Ricciardo back in business as Australian GP hits Melbourne

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