Verstappen takes pole at Australian F1 grand prix

Red Bull record-breaker Max Verstappen has taken pole position as Oscar Piastri's first taste of racing a home Formula One grand prix turned sour.

Verstappen lowered the Albert Park lap record four times on Saturday to emphatically confirm his Australian grand prix favouritism.

Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will start from second and third on the grid, followed by Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz.

But Melbourne-born Piastri will begin Sunday's race from 16th.

Making his home-town F1 debut, Piastri was cut from the field after the first of the three phases of qualifying.

"We adjusted the front wing a little bit for the last run and maybe it wasn't the best," he said.

"A little bit of inexperience on my side potentially ... it wasn't the best preparation.

"All weekend it has been difficult to get the first lap going with the tyres because it's so cold ... what we did was fine, just not quite good enough."

The 21-year-old Piastri was among the five slowest drivers dropped after the initial phase - the batch included Red Bull's Sergio Perez, who failed to complete a lap.

Perez and Verstappen logged one-two finishes in the opening two races this season, with a win each.

But Perez will start from last on the grid in Melbourne after twice ending in the gravel due to tyre issues on Saturday - initially in the third practice session and again on his first lap during qualifying.

Verstappen's Red Bull had no such issues with the Dutchman setting a lap record in the third practice session.

He then went quicker again in all three phases of qualifying - his best lap of the day was a sizzling one minute 16.372 seconds.

Before Saturday, the record was 1:17.868 by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc when he claimed pole position in last year's qualifying.

"The last one (lap) was pretty decent ... very happy with that," Verstappen said.

"I don't think it's a straight-forward race with the tyres but I think we what we have shown so far this year, the car normally is good in the race."

Verstappen's 36 career wins have come at 22 different tracks though Albert Park is not among them - his best finish in six races in Melbourne is third in 2019.

Verstappen's 22nd career pole position came amid another record in Melbourne: 129,748 spectators flocked to Albert Park, surpassing the previous biggest Saturday crowd at the circuit of 123,247 set last year.