It’s been a while, but Max Verstappen will start from pole position in tomorrow’s Formula 1 race. On the Red Bull Ring in Austria, the three-time world champion outpaced everyone on Saturday afternoon. This marks his eighth pole of the season, despite failing to qualify as the fastest in the previous three races (in Monaco, Canada, and Spain).
The way Verstappen secured the pole position is impressive. Verstappen, who earlier in the day also won the sprint race in front of packed orange stands, leaves no chance for his competitors. Despite all the commotion around the feud between his father Jos Verstappen and team boss Christian Horner, he manages to keep his head ‘cool’ in the Austrian heat. “The car was ‘on fire’. This was very good,” Verstappen exclaims over the radio immediately after crossing the finish line.
Behind Verstappen, his closest rival Lando Norris (McLaren) takes the second starting spot, while Mercedes driver George Russell secures P3.
Q1: Verstappen Conserves Rubber
As the first part of the qualifying session on the Red Bull Ring begins, it’s blazingly warm with the mercury hitting 31 degrees Celsius. Carlos Sainz records the fastest time (1.05,263), just fractionally faster than Oscar Piastri (by 0.048) and Max Verstappen (by 0.073).
However, Verstappen achieves this with only two fast runs on two sets of used softs. Compared to his competitors, he thus saves a new set. Despite this, Verstappen still clocks the third time, indicating that the speed of his RB20 is up to par. Mercedes driver George Russell (eleventh time) also only uses used tires in this phase.
Verstappen’s Red Bull Teammate, Sergio Pérez, Faces a Challenge
In contrast to Verstappen, his Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez has to push hard in the final seconds. He survives with the twelfth time in the first elimination, which is not a given for the Mexican. The dropouts in Q1 are Alexander Albon, Lance Stroll, Valtteri Bottas, Logan Sargeant, and Guanyu Zhou.
Q2: Verstappen Delivers a Blow
Verstappen kicks off Q2 with a flawless lap on new rubber, clocking in at 1.04,577. The gap with the competition is significant after the first series of fast runs. Sainz, Russel, Piastri, Lando Norris, and Charles Leclerc all have to concede about half a second to the Limburger. In his second fast lap, which is not really necessary, he manages to shave off some more time, thanks in part to a very impressive second sector (1.04,469).
With this, he delivers a mental blow to the competition, as the difference, especially considering the short length of the track (4,318 km), is more than half a second on the number twos. Those number twos are Sainz and Russell, who clock the same time (1.05,016). Pérez also makes it to Q3, as the eighth. However, unlike Verstappen, he has no new tires left for Q3.
The dropouts in Q2 are Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Kevin Magnussen, Yuki Tsunoda, and Fernando Alonso. Notably, Nico Hülkenberg, representing Haas as the ninth, manages to make it to the final phase of the qualification.
Q3: Verstappen Again in a Class of His Own
In Q3, Max Verstappen sets the tone with a fast 1.04,426. Lando Norris comes closest to matching the time in the first series of fast runs, up to 0.361 seconds. The margin with the number three, Russell, is already half a second (0.528). In his second run, he is even faster (1.04,314) and secures his fortieth pole position.
Following Verstappen at a respectful distance are Norris, Russell, Sainz, Hamilton, Leclerc, Piastri, Pérez, Hülkenberg, and Ocon.
The Austrian Grand Prix starts tomorrow at 15.00 UST.
