F1 2026: Max Verstappen CRASHES OUT of Australian Grand Prix qualifying

Verstappen, RB22, Socials — Photo: © IMAGO

Australian Grand Prix

Max Verstappen CRASHES OUT of Australian Grand Prix qualifying

The Red Bull F1 star has had a nightmare first qualifying of 2026

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Saturday 7 March 2026 06:20 Updated: 09:10

Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen crashed out of qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix after a shock start to the 2026 season.

The Red Bull star crashed his RB22 at the first corner at Albert Park Circuit with seven minutes to go in Q1 on Saturday, sending his new car spinning into the gravel as soon as he hit the brakes.

The Dutchman ended up in the wall and prompted a red flag, confirming he was ok over team radio before saying: "The car just ******* locked on the rear axles. Fantastic."

Article continues under video

This came in the session immediately after where Verstappen could be heard complaining over 'completely ****' steering in the final practice of the weekend.

Whilst the crash spells trouble for Verstappen on Sunday, he won't start plum last given that neither Lance Stroll nor Carlos Sainz took part in the session having both experienced issues with their machinery earlier in the day.

All three drivers will need to be granted permission to start Sunday's Australian GP as a result.

The crisis is ongoing for Aston Martin as Stroll was forced to sit out of the final practice session and qualifying in Melbourne, as fears persist that his new Honda power unit could prevent him from finishing, or perhaps even starting the first race of the season.

Verstappen out-qualified by new team-mate

The incident means Verstappen failed to set a time in his first competitive qualifying of the 2026 campaign, with new team-mate Isack Hadjar out-qualifying him at the first opportunity as a result.

Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle assessed the uncharacteristic crash from the 28-year-old, saying during the live broadcast: "That's not a driver error.

"I was going to say 'how often do you see Max Verstappen just make a fundamental error?'

"He's hit the brakes and it has just locked the rear axle. You can't pull handbrakes on anymore in modern cars, in older ones you could."

The Sky commentary team also noted that the Dutchman appeared to be shaking his hands following the incident, having perhaps been in pain after leaving his hands on the steering wheel as he careered into the barriers, a decision that Brundle warned had led to broken wrists in the past.

The one positive to come from Verstappen's crash was that it helped Mercedes, who were up against the clock to repair Kimi Antonelli's car after a crash in FP3, with the Italian teenager able to get back out on track and progress through to the second stint of qualifying.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen 2026 regulations Australian Grand Prix Melbourne