Another tight qualification. Max Verstappen took Pole in the Sprint Qualifying in Austria, finishing ahead of Lando Norris's McLaren by just 93 thousandths. Problems at home continue Ferrari: Charles Leclerc, after starting like the other 9 drivers for his only attempt in SQ3, had to stop in the pit lane due to an engine problem, restarting after several seconds. This delay meant that the Monegasque took the checkered flag and therefore remained in P10. Despite such a short runway i postings they were pretty broad except for the first two drivers who seem to have created a vacuum. Oscar Piastri, third, takes about 2 and a half tenths from his teammate, while Mercedes and Ferrari lose 3 and 4.
SQ1: nothing to do for Ricciardo, first of the excluded
The problems continue for Daniel Ricciardo and for Racing Bulls in difficulty like in Spain. The Australian is the first to fail to make the SQ1 cut. Problems also for Nico Hulkenberg, only 17th. Unlike the German, his teammate manages to get through to the next round, as does Logan Sargeant who will start ahead of Alexander Albon. The Thai achieved the second worst time of the session, sandwiching himself between Bottas and Zhou, the two Stake drivers who, we recall, are the only team to have not yet scored 1 point in the 10 races held.
SQ2, both Aston Martins out
The second phase of sprint qualifying in Austria saw Kevin Magnussen narrowly miss out on SQ3 for Haas, coming within a tenth of P11. Both Aston Martins also left the scene with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso who qualified in P12 and P13 respectively. Immediately behind we find the other Racing Bulls, that of Yuki Tsunoda, 14th. Logan Sargeant instead closes in P15.
SQ3 a single attempt for everyone except Leclerc
The last phase of qualifying, in which Pole is contested, sees the clock ticking down and the drivers stopped in the pits. Nobody wants to open the ball, so they all pour into the pit lane with 2 minutes to go. A single attempt for everyone, traffic permitting. The first to exit are the two Mercedes drivers, followed by McLaren and Red Bull. However, about 1 and a half minutes from the pit lane an alarm arrives. Charles Leclerc is stopped, and is unable to restart. The Monegasque complains on the radio about the engine, which apparently stopped suddenly. He manages to restart after a series of attempts, tries to close the lap as soon as possible but by then it is too late. For a handful of seconds Leclerc takes the checkered flag, without any time marked. A real disaster.
In the meantime, on the monitor the times of the others begin to draw up the ranking. Norris and Piastri finished ahead of everyone but Max Verstappen took the lead of the group, once again on a razor's edge. Only 93 thousandths separate his Pole from Lando's second position. Tomorrow in the Sprint Race the two will therefore start paired, as in Spain. Second row instead for Piastri and Russell. The first Ferrari we find is that of Carlos Sainz who will start in the third row alongside Hamilton. Fourth row for Perez and Ocon. Fifth for Gasly and Leclerc.
