Graz, Austria – Max Verstappen has secured pole position for the Sprint in Austria after an impressive performance during the Sprint Qualifying session. He outpaced the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with all drivers in SQ3 completing a single flying lap in the final minutes of the session.
Verstappen set a blistering time of 1m 04.686s in his Red Bull, edging out Norris by 0.093s to claim the top spot. Piastri, another McLaren driver, finished in third place, followed by George Russell in the Mercedes in fourth and Carlos Sainz in the lead Ferrari in fifth. Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes will start in sixth position.
Sergio Perez put his Red Bull in seventh place, while Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly from Alpine secured eighth and ninth place, respectively. Unfortunately, Charles Leclerc faced issues in the pit lane and failed to set a time, leaving him in tenth position at the end of Sprint Qualifying.
The intense competition and pressure to perform were evident as drivers pushed their cars to the limit to secure the best possible starting position for the upcoming race. Verstappen’s display of skill and speed at the Red Bull Ring in Austria has set the stage for an exciting and closely contested Sprint event.