Lando Norris has taken pole for the Austrian Grand Prix. Having topped the timesheets in FP2 and 3, Norris blitzed the rest of the field in qualifying, going quickest in every session and claiming pole by an incredible 0.521s over Charles Leclerc, who, despite not looking particularly strong in free practice, was able to drag himself onto the front row with a valiant final run. A late spin by Pierre Gasly brought the yellow flags out at the end of Q3. Brief though it may have been, the disruption was enough to deny Oscar Piastri a final flying lap, the Australian having to make do with third on the grid for tomorrow’s race ahead of Lewis Hamilton.
After nearly being knocked out of Q1, George Russell's last-ditch attempt was enough to yield fifth place ahead of delighted Liam Lawson, who, amidst a bevy of question marks over his future, managed to secure his best-ever starting position in sixth.
In addition to Oscar Piastri, the other high-profile victim of the late yellow flag was Max Verstappen. Having kept the McLarens largely within his sights in free practice, the reigning world champion was at sea in qualifying. An inconsistent car left him complaining of both under- and oversteer throughout the session, Verstappen describing the RB21 as “undrivable” at one point. His final run in Q3 looked like it was going to yield a tenth or so; however, the yellow flags denied him the chance, leaving Verstappen stranded in P7—his lowest starting position at the Red Bull Ring since 2016.
In contrast to Verstappen’s struggles, Gabriel Bortoleto delivered on both his and Sauber’s potential with a first-ever Q3 appearance. Having been on the pace throughout qualifying (he managed the fifth-fastest time in Q2), Bortoleto kept his head amidst all the unease and will start tomorrow’s race from a career-best eighth place, the Brazilian in with a shout of a maiden points finish.
Kimi Antonelli could only manage ninth, a daunting 1.3 seconds off pole, while Pierre Gaslywas able to keep it out of the barriers during his late spin, thereby ensuring P10. Aston Martin’s pace in free practice has proven to be a red herring. Fernando Alonso could only manage 11th, while his teammate Lance Stroll failed to get out of Q1 for the seventh time this season.
Williams also had a qualifying they’d rather forget, as Alex Albon had to make do with 12th, while Carlos Sainz’s torrid Q1—a session epitomized by the numerous bouts of oversteer with which he was saddled on his final lap—meant he could do no better than 19th. Alex Brundle and Davide Valsecchi later raised the possibility of a mechanical issue, such was the extent of Sainz’s struggles.
Isack Hadjar had to play second fiddle to his teammate in qualifying and will start 13th, one place ahead of Franco Colapinto. Having endured some unedifying qualifying performances of late, Oliver Bearman did well to get out of Q1—unlike his more experienced teammate Esteban Ocon, who starts 18th. Lance Stroll split the two Haas’ while Yuki Tsunoda’sSaturday struggles are showing no signs of easing up. Eighteenth place is a far cry from what he and Red Bull are looking for. Carlos Sainz will share the last row of the grid with Nico Hülkenberg, the German very much the slower of the two Sauber drivers so far this weekend.
The Red Bull Ring has been kind to Norris in the past. This was, after all, the site of his first podium in 2020 and first front-row start in 2021. Having missed out on a potential victory here last year after a late-race scuffle with Max Verstappen and faced mounting criticism over his DNF in Canada, it's safe to say Lando Norris has come to Spielberg with a point to prove. And as statements go, his scorching run to pole position has been a powerful one.
