Qualifying setback hid pace in F1 Australian GP

Alfa Romeo arrived in Australia looking to continue its strong start to the season after seeing Valtteri Bottas finish sixth in Bahrain and reach Q3 in Saudi Arabia before retiring from the race.

Team-mate Zhou Guanyu also scored a point on his F1 debut in Bahrain, giving the team its first double-points finish since Imola 2020.

But neither driver made it through to Q3 in Australia on Saturday, bringing to an end a 103-race streak of top-10 qualifying results for Bottas. The…