On the grounds of Red Bull, Dutchman Max Verstappen dominated the first day of the Austrian F1 Grand Prix by being the fastest in free practice, before snatching pole position in the sprint race.
With a car less dominant than in the past two years, the three-time reigning world champion must work harder and harder to push back his rivals, but as in Canada or Spain, he still succeeded at the start of the weekend. ends at the Red Bull Ring.
On Saturday noon, he will start at the head of the sprint race, the third of the season, ahead of the two McLarens of Briton Lando Norris and Australian Oscar Piastri, and will once again be the big favorite.
During a very tactical qualifying session in which the teams tried as much as possible to preserve their tyres in view of a busy programme, Verstappen managed to pull out all the stops in extremis by getting the better of Norris by just 93 thousandths of a second at the very end of Q3.
“I’m very happy to take first place in the sprint qualifying in front of my fans for our home race. Everything went very well today. The car was fun to drive and we found the right ones right away. “It’s a very good start to the weekend,” said the world championship leader.
Ferrari, under pressure after two disappointing weekends in Canada and Spain, did not really raise the bar since the Spaniard Carlos Sainz took fifth place while Charles Leclerc will only start in 10th position.
Victim of an anti-stall problem when leaving his garage, the Monegasque was unable to complete a fast lap in Q3, which provoked his anger.
Max Verstappen of the Netherlands during qualifying for the sprint race of the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix on June 28, 2024 in Spielberg.
Joe Klamar – AFP
“Obviously I’m not happy, but the weekend is still long. I’ll try to gain a few places during the sprint race and then start from scratch to prepare for the Grand Prix qualifying,” said Leclerc.
– Mercedes confirms –
Mercedes, on the other hand, confirmed their renewal by taking fourth and sixth places in qualifying and could join the fight for the podium.
For once, the Mexican Sergio Pérez has reached Q3 and will start in seventh place, ahead of the two Alpines of Frenchmen Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.
As in Barcelona last weekend, the French team managed to get its two cars into Q3 and seems to be continuing the recovery observed in recent weeks after a catastrophic start to the season.
“The positive thing is that we performed well and are well placed for the sprint. We still have work to do and things to understand, but it’s nice to be moving in the right direction,” Ocon stressed.
Briton Lando Norris (McLaren) during qualifying for the sprint race of the Austrian Formula 1 Grand Prix, June 28, 2024 in Spielberg
Jure Makovec – AFP
“We managed SQ1 and SQ2 well, showing good speed to reach the following sessions. On the other hand, we clearly did not maximise SQ3. It was complicated and I was not really able to do an attacking lap,” Gasly lamented.
Conversely, Aston Martin is struggling more and more to get into the Top 10. On Saturday, the Canadian Lance Stroll and the Spanish veteran Fernando Alonso will only start in 12th and 13th positions after being overtaken by the modest Haas of the Dane Kevin Magnussen (11th).
Australian Daniel Ricciardo (Racing Bulls), who has been in danger of losing his seat after poor performances recently, only managed 16th fastest time, a result that does not help his case. He will have to do better on Saturday in qualifying for the Grand Prix.
AFP / Spielberg near Knittelfeld (Austria) (AFP) / © 2024 AFP
