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MELBOURNE, Australia — Max Verstappen not surprisingly clinched pole position for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix. More surprising was record eight-time Australian pole winner Lewis Hamilton not making it into the final round of qualifying. Verstappen who has won both races to start the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia with his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez second both times, will start in the front row for the 58-lap race on the Albert Park street circuit. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz returning from appendix surgery was second-fastest. McLaren driver Lando Norris will start third after a three-place grid penalty pushed Perez down to sixth. Charles Leclerc is fourth for Ferrari, followed by Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri.
