The back of the field, knocked out in Q1, is led by Aston Martin's Franando Alonso, followed by the Cadillacs of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. Verstappen will start 20th with neither Carlos Sainz nor Lance Stroll putting down a qualifying lap following their damage in Saturday's Free Practice session.

The FIA has revealed sporting regulation tweaks ahead of the new season, with Q3 having another minute added for drivers to set a quick time.

The FIA have released an updated set of regulations

The FIA has approved adjustments to the Formula 1 qualifying regulations for the 2026 season. The changes are driven by the addition of an 11th team to the grid: Cadillac will join as a full-time constructor.

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli impressed in qualifying by finishing first and second in Melbourne, but they could yet face punishment

The 50/50 power split: The power units have been redesigned to provide a nearly equal balance between the internal combustion engine and electrical power. This removes the complex MGU-H (heat recovery) and triples the MGU-K's output, making energy management and harvesting much more critical during the race.