Max Verstappen said a "weird" braking failure caused him to crash out in the first session of Australian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday after the four-times world champion lost grip and slammed his Red Bull into a barrier.

Verstappen skidded out at turn one of the lakeside circuit but was unharmed and exited the car, having failed to record a single lap time.

"The car just ... locked down the rear axles. Fantastic," the Dutchman said on the team radio.

"I didn't speak to the team yet or didn't look into any data, but to lose a car like that on the braking, I've never experienced that in my life," he told Sky later.

"I hit the pedal and suddenly the whole rear axle just completely locked up. So, definitely a bit weird."

Mercedes driver George Russell took pole position ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli.

Formula One's new engine era has proved a steep learning curve for drivers, and Verstappen was scathing of the changes during the off-season, calling them "anti-racing".

Condemned to starting near the back of the grid, or in the pit-lane depending on repairs, Verstappen is now pinning his hopes on rivals struggling with the long runs in race conditions on Sunday.

"There's so many unknowns, of course, at the moment that we still need to get on top of," he said.

"Yeah, we'll see tomorrow what we can do."

In his absence, Isack Hadjar qualified third.

Being Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull has been a poisoned chalice for a slew of drivers, with Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda both moving on last season.

But 21-year-old Frenchman Hadjar was a model of composure during qualifying and said he felt no extra pressure to perform following Verstappen's setback.

"I might be P3, but if Max was actually running the whole session then I don’t know if I would be here," he said.

"So that’s a shame. I want to compare myself with the best and today that didn’t happen, so we’ll do that next time in China."

Hadjar's fastest lap in qualifying was nearly eight-tenths of a second slower than Russell's, and he gave Red Bull no chance of reeling them in Melbourne.

"No," he said bluntly.

"And I think after turn one, if we keep our position then we have a good race, I think.

"But yeah, we simply don’t have the pace to win."

-Ian Ransom/Reuters