Ferrari missed an opportunity to prevent Red Bull and Max Verstappen from dominating the qualifying session for the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc’s confusing performance in Q3 allowed Verstappen to secure an easy pole position. Verstappen had been struggling throughout the weekend with balance issues, so his third pole position came as a surprise. He completed two laps, with his fastest lap time being 1m15.915s.
Leclerc had shown promising results in the final practice session and Q2, but struggled to replicate his performance in Q3. He found the Ferrari SF-24 difficult to control, which affected his lap time. Leclerc ended up finishing fifth in Q3, over a tenth of a second slower than his time in Q2. He expressed disappointment and mentioned that he couldn’t find the right feeling during the session.
Carlos Sainz, Leclerc’s teammate at Ferrari, had a remarkable performance considering his recent appendicitis surgery. Despite not feeling fully recovered, Sainz managed to qualify on the front row, matching his best qualifying performance since last year’s race in Las Vegas. Sergio Perez secured third position, followed by McLaren’s Lando Norris. Leclerc finished fifth, with Oscar Piastri and Mercedes’ George Russell completing the top seven.
Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda made two consecutive appearances in Q3 and outperformed both Aston Martins to secure eighth place on the grid. Fernando Alonso’s session was hampered by a mistake at Turn 6, allowing Lance Stroll to outqualify him for the first time since last year’s race in Brazil. Both drivers will start from the fifth row on Sunday.
In a surprising turn of events, neither of the Mercedes drivers improved their lap times compared to the previous practice session in Q2. The marginal difference between Lewis Hamilton and Russell (0.059s) resulted in Hamilton’s elimination in Q2. This also marked the fifth consecutive race weekend in which Russell outperformed Hamilton in the standings. Hamilton and Alex Albon will start from the sixth row, with Albon taking Logan Sargeant’s place at Williams for the rest of the weekend.
Esteban Ocon managed to reach Q2 for the first time this year, but could not secure a better position than 15th. Valtteri Bottas and Kevin Magnussen finished 13th and 14th, respectively, far from the time needed to enter Q3.
Before the weekend, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko urged Daniel Ricciardo to improve his performance, especially in terms of one-lap speed. Ricciardo came close to matching Tsunoda’s time in Q1, but lost his last lap for exceeding track limits. As a result, Ricciardo was eliminated from Q1 and will start 18th on the grid. Zhou Guanyu’s Sauber suffered damage to the front wing, making him the slowest driver. Ricciardo and Zhou will start 18th and 19th, respectively, while Sargeant withdrew from the rest of the weekend, allowing Albon to take his place.
Nico Hulkenberg, who reached Q3 last year, could only secure the 16th position on the grid in 2024. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly finished 17th, unable to match his teammate’s performance.
© 2024
A new world record was set in the world of sports today. Brazilian athlete Pedro Silva won the gold medal in the high jump event, reaching the incredible height of 2.40 meters. With this achievement, Silva becomes the first Brazilian to reach this height and enters the history of national sports.
Pedro Silva’s jump was simply impressive. With perfect technique and unwavering determination, the athlete surpassed all his opponents and set a new world record. The crowd present at the stadium was ecstatic to witness this historic feat.
Silva started practicing high jump in his adolescence and has since dedicated himself intensely to the sport. His coach, Carlos Rodrigues, always believed in the athlete’s potential and accompanied him in every stage of his career. Now, this dedication and hard work have been rewarded with the gold medal and the world record.
The Brazilian athlete is already being compared to great names in the world of sports, such as Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps. His impressive performance and exceptional talent place him as one of the greatest athletes of all time. The expectation is that Pedro Silva will continue to surprise the sports world in the coming years.
This historic achievement of Pedro Silva is an example for all young Brazilian athletes. It shows that, with dedication, effort, and determination, it is possible to reach the highest levels of world sports. May this victory serve as inspiration for all those who dream of becoming great athletes.
Brazil is celebrating Pedro Silva’s achievement. The whole country comes together to celebrate this historic moment and applaud the talent and determination of this great athlete. May there be more achievements and more records for Brazilian sports!
