After a disastrous incident for Lando Norris in the Canada Grand Prix, the Formula 1 runner-up in the driver’s championship came in gun’s blazing Saturday (June 28). Norris won pole at the Red Bull Ring, securing his position with an lightning fast lap of 1:03:971 to lead to field to green in Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.
The Championship leader, Oscar Piastri, will have a tall order on Sunday’s race to try and beat Norris from third position while also defending against Ferrari’s favorite, Charles Leclerc, who qualified in second.
Red Bull, meanwhile, had a qualifying to forget in their local turf. Max Verstappen will start a disappointing seventh, tying his worst qualifying effort this season, while Yuki Tsunoda wound up 18th on the 20-car grid.
Q3
The last session was up for grabs from second on back, as it was hard to see who were the main contenders with so many drivers improving times on each lap.
But from start to finish, Lando Norris owned Q3. Always in the top slot, he put any doubts he had lost his confidence after the incident in Canada to rest. Norris put a shattering full-purple 1:03:971 lap to secure the pole, leaving all other competitors in his dust. Charles Leclerc was forced to settle for second with Oscar Piastri in third.
Lewis Hamilton wound up slotted in fourth, George Russell fifth, and a competitive Liam Lawson rounded out the top six.
The local hero, Max Verstappen, qualified seventh after he had to slow down due to a yellow flag in the last sector. The reason? Pierre Gasly spinning with a double 360 in the main straight, who qualified last in this group in 10th position. Gasly was beaten by Gabriel Bortoletto in eighth with his Sauber while Kimi Antonelli was ninth.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Leader |
| 1. | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:03:071 |
| 2. | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.521s |
| 3. | 81 | Oscar Piastri | Mclaren | +0.583s |
| 4. | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.611s |
| 5. | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.792s |
| 6. | 39 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.955s |
| 7. | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.958s |
| 8. | 5 | Gabriel Bortoletto | Kick Sauber | +1.161s |
| 9. | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +1.305s |
| 10. | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | +1.678s |
Q2
The second session was going smoothly until Lewis Hamilton felt cold and decided to start a fire by the track. As the seven-time World Champion was going through turn 7, his car went wide and bit the grass. Given the high heat and friction from the tires, the area around his off-course excursion went ablaze. The session was red flagged to put out the fire with 5:42 on the clock.
When the session resumed, the teams took so long to get the cars ready, there were only three minutes left to go qualify. That was enough for just one warmup and one fast lap to end the session.
The gap to make it to Q3 was even tighter than before and was a tough end for Fernando Alonso, who got eliminated in 11th position, and Alex Albon in 12th, both aiming to make it to Q3. Isaack Hadjar was also an unexpected casualty, eliminated in 13th with his competitive Racing Bulls. On 14th and 15th landed Franco Colapinto and Oliver Bearman, respectively, both unable to fight for much with slower cars and not enough pace.
Yet the true surprise of the session was Gabriel Bortoletto, who was flying with his Sauber and passed to Q3 for the first time in an incredible fourth position, just behind Max Verstappen. Certainly, many families in Brazil were standing up and applauding for their new star.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 11. | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.076s |
| 12. | 23 | Alex Albon | Williams | +0.153s |
| 13. | 6 | Isaack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +0.174s |
| 14. | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Renault | +0.236s |
| 15. | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +0.260 |
F1 Review: George Russell Tops Max Verstappen To Win in Canada; Lando Norris Tags Teammate and Wrecks
Q1
With a five-minute delay after the F2 Sprint Race ran long, the first qualifying session kicked off with a very sunny but windy track. Lateral winds threw many cars off course, especially at turn 4.
With a difference of just 0.6 seconds between the first driver and 15th, the Red Bull Ring was incredibly competitive. But with all the rookies making it to Q2, several seasoned drivers had to make way.
Lance Stroll in 16th was a surprise as many were expecting him to do better, especially with the recent upgrades on his Aston Martin. He was followed closely by another disappointment, Esteban Ocon, in 17th. A bigger surprise was Yuki Tsunoda, who qualified 12 positions below his teammate Max Verstappen and certainly is testing Red Bull’s patience for results.
The last two drivers were Carlos Sainz in 19th, who appeared to have issues on his car which would explain the gap with his teammate. Rounding out the field was Nico Hulkenberg, who seemed completely lost around the Austrian track through the entire session.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 16. | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +0.051s |
| 17. | 18 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +0.086s |
| 18. | 44 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +0.091s |
| 19. | 6 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.304s |
| 20. | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | +0.328s |
The F1 Austria Grand Prix will begin on Sunday, June 28 at 9:00 a.m. ET. Television coverage in the United States will be provided by ESPN.
