Austrian Grand Prix: Russell's Pole and Max's Crash
Sunny. Dry. Air +33°C, track +53…51°C.
The starting position in Spielberg is very important; drivers starting from the first two rows have always won here, and out of the last twelve Grands Prix, eight were won by the pole sitter.
The eternal problem of qualifying in Spielberg is traffic. The short and narrow track cannot accommodate twenty-two cars. Before a fast lap, everyone eased off a bit to create at least a small free space ahead.
Max Verstappen has started from pole most often on Red Bull's home track. The team brought many updates, hoping to fight for the lead, but during practice, Mercedes drivers were in the lead – on Friday, Kimi Antonelli set the best time, and on Saturday morning, George Russell was the fastest.
Pirelli brought a "soft" trio of compounds – C3, C4, and C5, serving as Hard, Medium, and Soft, but grip was lacking, cars were sliding, and tires were overheating on the scorching asphalt. The FIA issued a warning about the hot weather, allowing drivers to use cooling vests. Those who did not want to used equivalent ballast in the car.
In the first session, everyone went out on Soft. First, the drivers not contending for a top ten spot set quick laps, followed by the others – this helped avoid traffic.
In the first attempt, Antonelli topped the protocol with 1:07.083. Norris, Hamilton, Verstappen, Piastri, and Leclerc opted out of the second attempt, while the others continued to fight.
Kimi did not improve, and the Williams, Cadillac, and Aston Martin drivers were eliminated from further contention.
In the second session, Leclerc started with 1:07.030, ahead of Hamilton by nine thousandths, but Antonelli drove faster – 1:06.763. Russell made a mistake and did not complete his attempt.
In the second attempt, Antonelli did not improve but maintained his lead. Gasly, Bortoleto, Berman, Hülkenberg, Ocon, and Colapinto did not advance to the final.
In the final, Verstappen set a new benchmark on his first attempt – 1:06.475, but Antonelli drove faster – 1:06.414. Hamilton did not complete his lap and returned to the pits.
For the final attempt, everyone saved a fresh set of tires. Hamilton topped the protocol with 1:06.408, but Leclerc went six hundredths faster – 1:06.349. Then Russell gained two tenths – 1:06.113, while Verstappen crashed.
Max went off in the ninth corner, flew through the gravel trap, and crashed into the barrier. Yellow flags were waved, Antonelli slowed down, and Russell attacked, but after reviewing the situation, the stewards found no violations.
George Russell won the qualifying in Spielberg, securing his 11th career pole and fourth of the season. Starting alongside him from the front row is Charles Leclerc, with Hamilton and Antonelli on the second row, and Verstappen and Norris on the third.
Qualification results
| Driver | Team | 1st session | 2nd session | 3rd session |
|--------|------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
| | Time | Laps | Time | Laps | Time | Laps |
| 1. D. Russell | Mercedes | 5 | 1:07.398 | 9 | 4 | 1:06.979 | 5 | 1 | 1:06.113 | 6 |
| 2. C. Leclerc | Ferrari | 9 | 1:07.543 | 3 | 6 | 1:07.030 | 6 | 2 | 1:06.349 | 6 |
| 3. L. Hamilton | Ferrari | 3 | 1:07.290 | 3 | 5 | 1:06.994 | 6 | 3 | 1:06.408 | 5 |
| 4. K. Antonelli | Mercedes | 1 | 1:07.083 | 5 | 1 | 1:06.763 | 6 | 4 | 1:06.414 | 6 |
| 5. M. Verstappen | Red Bull | 6 | 1:07.407 | 3 | 10 | 1:07.183 | 3 | 5 | 1:06.475 | 5 |
| 6. L. Norris | McLaren | 2 | 1:07.259 | 3 | 3 | 1:06.897 | 6 | 6 | 1:06.502 | 6 |
| 7. O. Piastri | McLaren | 8 | 1:07.487 | 5 | 2 | 1:06.890 | 3 | 7 | 1:06.511 | 6 |
| 8. A. Hadjar | Red Bull | 7 | 1:07.408 | 6 | 7 | 1:07.086 | 6 | 8 | 1:06.632 | 6 |
| 9. L. Lawson | Racing Bulls | 4 | 1:07.385 | 6 | 8 | 1:07.136 | 6 | 9 | 1:06.955 | 6 |
| 10. A. Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 10 | 1:07.549 | 6 | 9 | 1:07.155 | 6 | 10 | 1:07.007 | 6 |
| 11. P. Gasly | Alpine | 13 | 1:08.038 | 6 | 11 | 1:07.223 | 6 |
| 12. G. Bortoleto | Audi | 12 | 1:08.035 | 6 | 12 | 1:07.293 | 6 |
| 13. O. Berman | Haas | 14 | 1:08.061 | 6 | 13 | 1:07.523 | 6 |
| 14. N. Hülkenberg | Audi | 15 | 1:08.066 | 9 | 14 | 1:07.611 | 6 |
| 15. E. Ocon | Haas | 16 | 1:08.231 | 9 | 15 | 1:07.817 | 6 |
| 16. F. Colapinto | Alpine | 11 | 1:07.894 | 6 | 16 | 1:08.171 | 5 |
| 17. C. Sainz | Williams | 17 | 1:08.252 | 9 |
| 18. A. Albon | Williams | 18 | 1:08.509 | 9 |
| 19. S. Perez | Cadillac | 19 | 1:08.945 | 9 |
| 20. V. Bottas | Cadillac | 20 | 1:09.030 | 9 |
| 21. F. Alonso | Aston Martin | 21 | 1:09.942 | 9 |
| 22. L. Stroll | Aston Martin | 22 | 1:10.363 | 8 |
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