Austrian Grand Prix – Qualifying: Lando Norris on pole, Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri just behind

Q1: Ocon out, Tsunoda and Sainz struggling, Russell on the line

The first part of the qualifying session began with a slight delay due to an incident in F2 earlier in the day. Right from the first flying laps, the hierarchy quickly evolved: Esteban Ocon, Nico Hülkenberg, and then Max Verstappen successively took the lead, each improving the times in an eventful session.

Oscar Piastri, despite an excursion into the gravel, managed to bounce back and climb up the rankings, proving the competitiveness of his McLaren. But it was his teammate Lando Norris who ultimately made an impression by setting the fastest time, relegating Max Verstappen by several tenths.

Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz struggled throughout the session, finding themselves in the last positions just minutes before the end. Forced to switch to soft tires, they attempted a final push to avoid elimination. Fernando Alonso managed to secure 13th place, but Carlos Sainz failed, finishing in 19th place, a disappointing performance for the Spaniard.

Regarding Russell, he hopes that Q2 will be less complicated than Q1. Mercedes still seems to have work to do to hope to make it into the top ten at this pace.

The eliminated: Lance Stroll (16th), Esteban Ocon (17th), Yuki Tsunoda (18th), Carlos Sainz (19th), Nico Hülkenberg (20th)

Q2: Bortoleto impressive, Gasly solid, Mercedes on the edge

The session was interrupted, but fortunately, no accidents were reported. The marshals quickly intervened while the cars were brought back to the pits. Once the session resumed, the drivers attempted to record the best time.

McLaren confirmed its great form: Lando Norris set the fastest time, ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri. Both dominated without really being threatened.

Behind, once again Liam Lawson outperformed his teammate Isack Hadjar, by making it to Q3. Pierre Gasly also impressed with a fine performance for Alpine. But the standout performance goes to Bortoleto who secured a 5th place and qualifies for Q3, a positive outcome for the Sauber team.

The eliminated: Fernando Alonso (11th), Alex Albon (12th), Isack Hadjar (13th), Franco Colapinto (14th), Ollie Bearman (15th)

Q3: Verstappen gets caught out, Leclerc very close and Piastri slips up

Lando Norris continued his momentum and delivered an exceptional lap, clinching an important pole position in the battle with his teammate, who finished in third place.

Behind him, Charles Leclerc delivered a strong performance, he was very close to the British driver, which gave the Ferrari team confidence. Lewis Hamilton is also in the top 5.

Pierre Gasly did not just spin out; he managed to flip his car several times. The gravel trap claimed another victim this weekend.

It was costly for Oscar Piastri, as well as for Max Verstappen, who had eased off at the yellow flag announcement.

Ferrari catches up with McLaren, Mercedes struggles, Max Verstappen running late… We can hope for a contested race tomorrow, race starts at 3 PM French time.

The results of the qualifications:

To be continued…