F1 LIVE | Qualifying for the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix
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With only one practice session left in the Austrian GP weekend, it is already time for qualifying. Will Max Verstappen go for the maximum again in the sprint race or will Ferrari bounce back? Don't miss a thing of what happens at the Red Bull Ring with the GPBlog liveblog.
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Sprint weekend in Austria
The first free practice session is more important than usual. There is only one hour of preparation for this afternoon's qualifying session. After this first practice, the right set-up has to be found for one fast lap, for a sprint race and for the full race on Sunday. The second 'sprint weekend' of the year, just like the previous ones, yields a possible 34 points.
This year, not three points are awarded to the winner, but no less than eight. The entire top eight earns one point less than the person in front of them. The winner of the sprint race no longer gets pole position behind his name in the statistics. That will be achieved this afternoon during qualifying. However, the winner of Sunday's sprint race will start at the front.
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Will Verstappen strike the first blow?
Max Verstappen won a record number of points in the previous sprint race. The Red Bull Racing driver won eight points for winning the sprint race, won 25 points for Sunday's race victory and picked up the extra point for fastest lap. It was a massive blow to title rival Charles Leclerc.
The question is whether Verstappen will do the same again in the second sprint race. All eyes are on the Dutchman to deliver the first blow in qualifying. Verstappen and Red Bull are generally very strong at the Red Bull Ring, so there are certainly chances to repeat the successful weekend in Italy in Austria.