Max Verstappen secured pole position in qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, meaning he’ll line up P1 for Saturday’s Sprint. And while it was a relatively straightforward session for the Dutchman, for Mercedes it was anything but.
Verstappen pipped Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc to P1 by just 0.029s, with Carlos Sainz in third only 0.082s away from the Dutchman, as Sergio Perez took fourth.
READ MORE: Verstappen beats Ferraris to pole in Austria as both Mercedes crash out of Q3
George Russell was P5 for Mercedes. But the Briton didn’t see the chequered flag, after both he and team mate Lewis Hamilton crashed out of Q3 – with Hamilton taking an eventual P10 for the Sprint.
Watch how the qualifying drama unfolded at the Red Bull Ring in the video above.
Next Up
Related Articles
Hadjar details what excites him most about racing for Red Bull
What F1 drivers have been up to over the festive holidays
ExplainedEverything you need to know about Cadillac’s entry to F1
Bottas on how F1 drivers will adapt to the 2026 regulations
Exclusive‘I'm used to being thrown in the deep end’ – Lindblad
Audi complete first fire-up of 2026 F1 car