- Max Verstappen clinched pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix.
- Lando Norris and George Russell will start in second and third positions.
- Qualifying sessions were intense with several position changes.
- Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton will start from fourth and fifth spots.
- Charles Leclerc faced issues but managed to secure sixth position.
Max Verstappen took the top spot in the qualifying round for the Austrian Grand Prix, making it yet another feather in his cap. Starting ahead of his competitors, Verstappen was followed closely by Lando Norris and George Russell, who will begin the race in second and third places, respectively.
The qualifying session, divided into three segments, saw a lot of action. Verstappen’s lap time of 1’04.314 secured him the pole, giving him a significant advantage. Lando Norris managed a lap time of 1’04.718, finishing 0.404 seconds behind Verstappen. Meanwhile, George Russell clocked in at 1’04.840, trailing further by 0.526 seconds.
In the first segment (Q1), George Russell set the initial pace with a lap time of 1m05.614s. However, Verstappen quickly surpassed this with a time of 1m05.336s, though it was Carlos Sainz who topped the segment with 1m05.263s. Unfortunately, drivers like Alexander Albon, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, Logan Sargeant, and Zhou Guanyu were knocked out early.
Moving into Q2, Verstappen solidified his dominance with a time of 1m04.469s, distancing himself by over half a second from the rest. Both Sainz and Russell set identical times of 1m05.016s but couldn’t catch up. This round saw Daniel Ricciardo, Kevin Magnussen, Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, and Fernando Alonso dropping out.
The final segment (Q3) was delayed briefly to sweep the track at Turn 6. Once resumed, Max Verstappen improved his time to 1m04.314s during his final run, securing his fourth consecutive pole for the Austrian GP. Lando Norris held his second position despite challenges, but Oscar Piastri fell to seventh due to track limits penalties. George Russell and Carlos Sainz filled the third and fourth spots, with Lewis Hamilton in fifth, albeit under investigation for a garage incident. Charles Leclerc faced a tough time, going off track and damaging his car, ending up in sixth.
In summary, Verstappen’s outstanding performance sees him start on pole, with Norris and Russell right behind him, promising an exciting race ahead.
Source: Motorsport
