Verstappen secures sprint qualifying pole in Austria by slim margin
Max Verstappen will start from pole position for the Sprint in Austria after a stellar performance in Sprint Qualifying. Verstappen edged out McLaren's Lando Norris by a mere 0.093 seconds in a highly competitive session marked by intense pressure and last-minute drama.
During the final moments of SQ3, with each driver posting just one flying lap, Verstappen clocked in a time of 1:04.686 in his Red Bull, narrowly outperforming Norris. "This might be tight on time," Russell was warned by his engineer over the radio, emphasizing the pressure every driver was under to deliver.
Oscar Piastri, the second McLaren driver, managed to secure third place, followed by George Russell in his Mercedes in fourth. The lead Ferrari driven by Carlos Sainz rounded out the top five, with Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes taking the sixth spot on the grid.
Mercedes, Red Bull, and Alpine Round Out the Top 10. Sergio Perez's Red Bull will start from P7, while Alpine's Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly clinched P8 and P9, respectively. A disastrous end to Sprint Qualifying saw Charles Leclerc's Ferrari fail to set a time, leaving him in P10 after stopping in the pit lane and missing the chequered flag.
Kevin Magnussen narrowly missed out on a spot in SQ3, ending up in P11 for Haas. Both Aston Martin cars failed to make the cut, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso qualifying in P12 and P13. Yuki Tsunoda's RB secured P14, and Logan Sargeant will start from P15 for Williams, marking a notable improvement over his teammate Alex Albon.
Daniel Ricciardo faced an early exit after failing to progress beyond P16 in his RB, with Nico Hulkenberg's Haas lining up in P17. The Kick Sauber duo, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu, will start in P18 and P20, respectively, with Albon sandwiched between them in P19.
The grid is set for what promises to be an electrifying Sprint in Austria. The stage is set, and all eyes will be on Verstappen as he aims to convert his pole position into a dominant performance.
