Max Verstappen claims pole position for Sprint as Mercedes crash out in Q3

Max Verstappen has claimed pole position for the Sprint at the Austrian Grand Prix, as both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell crash out in Q3. The (team) driver finished atop the timings charts around the Red Bull Ring with a lap time of 1:04.984, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz following closely behind in second and third.

Hamilton's crash came with five minutes left in the final qualifying session of the Friday, with the Brit losing his rear at turn 7 and sliding into the barrier. The Mercedes driver was seen getting out of his car and seems to be okay. As for Russell, he entered the final corner after the session restart and lost his rear as he tried to take more speed, spinning into the barrier and causing another red flag. Much like before, Russell was okay and was seen leaving his car.

Sergio Perez followed the top three, with Russell and Esteban Ocon claiming the fifth and sixth spots. Haas were able to sit seventh and eighth with Kevin Magnussen bettering Mick Schumacher, Fernando Alonso finished ninth and Hamilton held the final spot in Q3.

Lando Norris' problem in FP1 was updated prior to qualifying getting underway, as it was reported that the young Brit switched and was using an old engine, which he used quickly as he made his way straight onto the track. However, as expected, it was extremely busy and traffic was becoming an issue. Another problem that haunted the drivers early on was track limit violations and the most recent pole-sitter Sainz had his top time of 1:06.3 seconds deleted.

The track pace was forever improving and was clear to many as Schumacher and Magnussen held a Haas one-two for a small period of time before Leclerc and Sainz regained their expected lead. The orange smoke from flairs of Verstappen fans covered the track quickly into the session, with the current World Champion setting off on his lap, which placed him on provisional pole, before getting his lap time deleted.

The veteran drivers were stealing the show as Q1 edged toward its end with Hamilton, Perez and Alonso holding the top three positions on the timings charts, with Leclerc, Russell and Sainz all creeping behind. Verstappen's first competitive time came with five minutes to go, as he put in a lap of 1:05.8, placing him on pole for just a few seconds before the Ferrari duo reclaimed their position at the top.

The aforementioned engine change for Norris didn't seem to affect the McLaren driver as he was able to place himself comfortably within the top ten as Q1 pushed towards the chequered flag. It became clear that the main battle was at the bottom of the charts, as drivers were fighting to get out of the elimination zone, but it ended with no improvements and an early elimination for Daniel Ricciardo.

OUT IN Q1 - Ricciardo, Stroll, Zhou, Latifi, Vettel

The teams launched out of the pits to start the Q2 session and after a run of fast lap attempts, Mercedes were the team catching everyone's eye. Hamilton and Russell found themselves at the top of the charts, with Verstappen splitting the pair. Ferrari trailed behind with Leclerc bettering his teammate and Perez claimed the sixth spot before Ocon stole the Mexican's position.

Haas were in a strong position, which was seen in Q1, as Schumacher and Magnussen were able to find themselves comfortably within the top 10 early on, but as the session continued, other teams were able to improve. Track limits were an issue once again and it plagued Perez the most, with two of his strong laps being deleted due to violations at turn 9 and turn 10.

Norris struggled throughout the whole of Q2, but the main issue was with a few minutes to go as he dipped his rear tyre in the gravel at turn 6, which deleted his time and meant his final flying lap would be his only representative time of the session. Both Verstappen and Perez were able to improve, securing their spot in Q3, but the Dutchman was still unable to find pace to beat Leclerc's provisional pole time. The prior-mentioned Norris told his team that he was 'scared to use the brakes' and ended up in the run-off zone at turn 1, ruining his final chance of a strong lap.

OUT IN Q2 - Gasly, Albon, Bottas, Tsunoda, Norris

The first news to come before Q3 was surrounding the struggling Perez. The Mexican driver made it into the final qualifying session but will be investigated after the hour for track limits at turn 8 and could result in a penalty or reprimand as the footage showed a clear gap between the white line and front left tyre. After the first runs, Verstappen and Perez were split by the Ferrari drivers for the top four spots and Schumacher lost his time due to another track limits violation.

Soon after, however, a red flag was flown as Hamilton crashed into the barriers at turn 7, due to a slide from a loss of grip at the rear. The seven-time World Champion was okay and managed to get out of the car comfortably.

As the session restarted, only Alonso and Russell went straight on track, but with four minutes to go, teams were waiting for the right time to pounce and have a final flying lap attempt. Just minutes after Hamilton crashed, Russell copied suit and crashed into the barriers at the final corner, causing another red flag. The session was able to re-start for a second time and the cars flooded the track to set their final lap times.