Despite a mistake, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen secured pole position for the second Formula 1 Grand Prix in Spielberg. The winner of the previous week drove on Saturday in qualifying in 1: 03.720 minutes, but only a wafer-thin ahead of McLaren surprise man Lando Norris (+0.048 seconds) the best time. Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez (+0.270) and world champion Lewis Hamilton in a Mercedes (0.294) will start from the second row on Sunday (3 p.m. / live ORF 1, ServusTV and Sky).
Valtteri Bottas in the second Silver Arrow was fifth (0.329) and underlined that Mercedes had probably already put its faith in the race. The disappointment with the qualifying result was obvious. “We tried everything, but the speed was lacking,” analyzed Hamilton, who had previously surprised with his early contract extension for another two years until the end of 2023. “I’m proud that we’re continuing. But there is a lot of work waiting for us,” said Hamilton.
After years of superiority, Mercedes is currently clearly behind Red Bull. “We weren’t quick enough, but we partly put it down to ourselves,” said team boss Toto Wolff, who quickly pinpointed the mistakes in the second Spielberg qualification. “Everything went a bit bad for us and we are angry. We haven’t been that far back for a long time,” said the Austrian on ServusTV. Third and fourth would have been damage control. “It should look better for us on Sunday,” hopes the Viennese.
For world championship leader Verstappen, however, it was the seventh pole of his career, the fourth this year and the third in a row. Last week, Verstappen celebrated a sovereign start-to-finish victory in Styria. On Sunday, the Dutchman will be heading for his 15th GP success in front of numerous Oranje fans, it would be his fifth this year or the third in a row.
The 23-year-old is cheered on by a huge army of Dutch fans in the first race of the season without spectator restrictions. “Except for my last outing, everything went well,” said Verstappen, explaining why he hadn’t improved in terms of time in Q3. “I was not at all satisfied with that,” said the Dutchman angrily.
However, points will only be awarded on Sunday anyway. “We want to make as many points as possible for the team. The fans are incredible. I hope I can give them a good race,” Verstappen, who on the Sunday after 2018 and 2019 and the triumph of a week ago for the first four-time Austria Can make a winner. “Hopefully we can round off the weekend perfectly.”
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko is already dreaming of a double victory in view of the first and third places on the grid with outsider Norris in between. “The gap in qualifying was close, but sufficient. In the race it looks different,” said the Austrian, extremely confident that the next Red Bull success will be achieved. Because Mercedes raised false hopes in the second training session. “We didn’t have the full power there and we had problems with the soft tire. We always knew that we still had something up our sleeve,” said Marko.
Marko was also surprised by Norris, who put a McLaren on the front row for the first time in years. But it also worries him. “Lando is a good starter. I hope he doesn’t get in our way because McLaren has never been on par with us at racing speed.”
Youngster Norris smiled all over his face. Team boss Andreas Seidl described the Brit’s performance as “sensational”. “Points will only be awarded on Sunday, so stay calm,” said the German. Seidl also believes in another Red Bull triumph: “Overall, we will have the same picture as last weekend. We are still a long way from Red Bull and Mercedes. The minimum goal for Lando is fifth.”
Sebastian Vettel did not have a conflict-free 34th birthday. The German Aston Martin driver finished eighth, but stood in the final corner of Fernando Alonso in Q2, messing up the Spaniard’s promotion to Q3 and was later postponed by the stewards by three starting places. Vettel apologized to the eaten Spaniard. “But I also can’t vanish into thin air.”
It remains to be seen whether the much-cited rain will affect the second race in Austria on Sunday. According to the latest weather reports, there is a tight, dry time window for the race. “We are sovereign even on wet slopes, we don’t need to change anything,” said Marko calmly. “We won’t disappoint the many Dutch fans.”
Starting grid:
1. Max Verstappen (NED) Red Bull 1:03,720 Min.
2. Lando Norris (GBR) McLaren 1: 03.768
3. Sergio Perez (MEX) Red Bull 1: 03,990
4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Mercedes 1:04,014
5. Valtteri Bottas (FIN) Mercedes 1: 04,049
6. Pierre Gasly (FRA) AlphaTauri 1: 04,107
7. Yuki Tsunoda (JPN) AlphaTauri 1: 04,273
8. Sebastian Vettel (GER) Aston Martin 1: 04,570
9. George Russell (GBR) Williams 1:04,591
10. Lance Stroll (CAN) Aston Martin 1:04,618
11. (in Q2 out) Carlos Sainz (FRA) Ferrari 1:04,55
12. Charles Leclerc (MON) Ferrari 1: 04.600
13. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) McLaren 1: 04.719
14. Fernando Alonso (ESP) Alpine 1:04,856
15. Antonio Giovinazzi (ITA) Alfa Romeo 1: 05.083
16. (in Q1 out) Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) Alfa Romeo 1: 05,009
17. Esteban Ocon (FRA) Alpine 1:05,051
18. Nicholas Latifi (CAN) Williams 1:05,195
19th Mick Schumacher (GER) Haas 1: 05.427
20. Nikita Masepin (RUS) Haas 1:05,951
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
