Incident at Turn 1
The new era of F1 begins with an accident for the master of the past generation of cars, Max Verstappen. The world runner-up indeed hit the barriers heavily at Turn 1 with about seven and a half minutes remaining in Q1 at the start of his first timed lap. Initially, it was thought to be an unexpected error by the four-time Red Bull world champion, but the first replays and Verstappen’s own team radio immediately disproved this hypothesis.
Read more Antonelli “thanks” Max: Verstappen’s accident allows him to take part in Qualifying
Max Verstappen is OUT of Qualifying, with no time set! 😳
This is the moment where the Red Bull driver spins into the wall at Turn 1 👇#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/M2XKoapEMl
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 7, 2026
The reason for the #3’s off-track excursion was in fact due to a sudden lock-up of the RB22’s rear axle which sent the Dutchman into a high-speed spin. Verstappen’s accident caused a red flag that was useful for the Mercedes mechanics to finish repairs on Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s car, after the Italian had been the protagonist of a bad accident in FP3.
Read more GP Australia 2026: Qualifying report
Very strange crash for #Verstappen. In my opinion, the rear lock-up starts when the braking regeneration starts, malfunction or too aggressive setting, hard to say from the outside. it was the first lap #AustralianGP pic.twitter.com/sWsxD7Kn01
— Federico Albano (@Fred__18) March 7, 2026
Verstappen got out of the car independently, but showed pain in his hands, particularly the right one. A replay showed how he suffered a fairly significant kickback at the moment of impact against the barriers.
