Austrian GP Sprint Qualifying: Max Verstappen holds off Lando Norris challenge for pole

Max Verstappen pipped Lando Norris to pole for Saturday morning’s Sprint race at the Austrian GP as F1 2024’s top two continued their increasingly close battle for supremacy in F1.

Verstappen topped all three segments of Sprint Qualifying, the first two from Mercedes’ George Russell, at the Red Bull Ring but was pushed all the way by Norris in the decisive SQ3 session with the Dutch driver eventually wining out with his final lap of 1:04.686 by a mere 0.093s.

Russell was eventually shuffled down to fourth by the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri, who will start third, but Lewis Hamilton experienced what he called a “pretty disastrous” session and is only sixth in the other Mercedes.

Hamilton only just made it through SQ1 after his opening lap was deleted for a track limits infringement.

But it was worse news for Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who wound up only 10th after running out of time to complete a final lap.

With all 10 of the SQ3 runners leaving their exists from the pit lane as late as possible, Leclerc was the last to leave and failed to beat the chequered flag as he rounded the final corner of his out lap.

Carlos Sainz was therefore the lead Ferrari in fifth place – although the 0.440s gap to the front on F1’s shortest track will provide the team with cause for concern – ahead of Hamilton in sixth and seventh-placed Sergio Perez, who again struggled in the second Red Bull.

On the back of consecutive points finishes in Grands Prix, improving Alpine maintained their momentum as both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly made the top 10 in eighth and ninth places respectively.

That came partly at the expense of Aston Martin, whose poor run continued with the team missing out on the top 10 completely in consecutive qualifying sessions.

Lance Stroll, whose contract extension at the team was announced on Thursday, outqualified team-mate Fernando Alonso by 0.031s, although both were outpaced by Haas’ Kevin Magnussen in 11th.

More to follow…

Sky Sports F1’s live Austrian GP schedule

Saturday June 29
8.25am: F3 Sprint
10am: Austrian GP Sprint (race starts at 11am)*
12.25pm: F2 Sprint
2pm: Austrian GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: Austrian GP Qualifying
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook

Sunday June 30
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up*
2pm: The AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction*
5pm: Ted’s Notebook

*also live on Sky Sports Main Event

F1’s triple-header continues at the Austrian Grand Prix with the Sprint format at the Red Bull Ring. Watch every session live on Sky Sports F1, with Sunday’s big race at 2pm. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership – No contract, cancel anytime