By Andrew BensonChief F1 writerLast updated on .From the section Formula 1
At the end of a dramatic qualifying session at the Australian Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc grabbed pole from Max Verstappen of Red Bull.
The final session was stopped by a red flag after Fernando Alonso crashed his Alpine.
When Alonso went off, Leclerc set the fastest time, but was beaten by Verstappen when the session resumed.
Leclerc took pole by 0.286 seconds after a fine lap at the end.
McLaren's Lando Norris was fourth, ahead of the Mercedes cars of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
Carlos Sainz was ninth fastest after a difficult session.
The red flag that was thrown for Alonso's crash did not register the first flying lap of the Spaniard.
He was 1.5 seconds slower than his team-mate on his final run.
Alonso was the biggest loser, as he was 0.2 seconds up on Leclerc's first lap time after two sectors of his flying lap.
Alonso ran wide of the apex entering the corner, got on to the kerb and slid into the gravel.
He told Alpine that he couldn't change gear.
The two-time champion looked on course for a competitive showing before the latest in a series of Alpine reliability problems stopped him.
More to come.
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