Austrian GP: Max Verstappen beats Lando Norris and George Russell to pole at Red Bull Ring
Championship leader Max Verstappen continued his dominance at the Red Bull Ring with a classy qualifying performance to see off Lando Norris; Verstappen hadn't been on pole since Imola in May; watch the Austrian GP at 2pm on Sunday, build-up at 12.30pm on Sky Sports F1
Saturday 29 June 2024 22:11, UK
Max Verstappen claimed his 40th F1 pole position by beating Lando Norris in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen, who won the Sprint earlier on Saturday, has been on top form all weekend and took pole by four tenths from Norris on the shortest track on the calendar in terms of lap time.
Oscar Piastri had gone third fastest in qualifying but had his lap time deleted for track limits at Turn Six, so George Russell was promoted to third, with Carlos Sainz in fourth.
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Piastri dropped four places to seventh, behind Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who nearly crashed at the end of Q3 at the penultimate corner.
Sergio Perez qualified eighth, with Nico Hulkenberg in ninth but under investigation for two pit lane infringements, and Esteban Ocon was 10th.
Verstappen hails 'statement' performance
Verstappen had not been on pole in the last three races coming into Austria but has topped every session this weekend at the Red Bull Ring.
The reigning world champion was over half a second faster than anyone else in Q2 and found himself three tenths in front of the field following the first Q3 runs.
He put the nail in the coffin by going even quicker on his last qualifying run to end up with the biggest pole margin of the year at 0.404s ahead of Norris, who also improved with his second lap.
"The qualifying went really well. We tried to adjust the car a little bit after the things that we learnt this morning, I think it worked well," said Verstappen, who leads Norris by 71 points in the drivers' championship.
"The track was a bit warmer than yesterday, so it made it trickier to drive, but the car felt a lot better for me today. I could really attack the corners a bit more, every run was on point and it was very enjoyable out there.
"It has been a while that we have actually been on pole [for a Grand Prix] so it's great. It's a great feeling. The team has been working really hard to make the car more competitive and I think this is a great statement. Hopefully we can, of course, also show that tomorrow in the race."
Hamilton limits damage after tricky qualifying
Hamilton qualified in fifth after another tricky qualifying, where he was in the drop zone in Q1 with five minutes remaining.
The seven-time world champion managed to get through but said on the radio "I'm just slow".
He was also off the pace compared to the other front-runners in Q2 but salvaged fifth place behind Sainz and Mercedes team-mate Russell.
Hamilton has been summoned for an alleged unsafe release when he knocked his rear jack over as he left the garage in Q3.
"We made some progress with the balance of the car," said Hamilton, who was six tenths away from pole.
"I should have probably started the weekend with this balance but nonetheless it was ok, the lap was pretty decent at the end. The middle sector was a little bit down but overall it's alright."
Perez had a similar path to the final part of qualifying as Hamilton and could only manage eighth.
The Mexican was nine tenths down on pole-sitter Verstappen, so is likely to not be able to help his Red Bull team-mate in the race.
No surprises down the order
It was a relatively straightforward qualifying as the top teams all progressed into Q3.
Fernando Alonso was frustrated in 15th for Aston Martin, while Daniel Ricciardo missed out on going through Q2 by 0.015s and will start 11th.
Kevin Magnussen, Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda were the other drivers eliminated in Q2.
Both Williams and Saubers were knocked out in Q1, along with Lance Stroll, who earlier this week was confirmed to stay at Aston Martin for 2025.
Sky Sports F1's live Austrian GP schedule
Sunday June 30
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up*
2pm: The AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction*
5pm: Ted's Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
F1's triple-header continues with the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday's big race at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership - No contract, cancel anytime
