McLaren found the pace at the Red Bull Ring with Lando Norris setting a dominant pace to gain pole position in Qualifying for the F1 2025 Austrian GP.
Lights Out In Q1
It was a slightly delayed start to qualifying in Austria due to several racing incidents in the F2 sprint race beforehand. But cars got on track by 16:05 local time.
The Williams of Alex Albon and both Aston Martins made the first entries onto track. They were quickly followed by Haas and Alpine. Lance Stroll set the first time of 1.06.06, which was quickly pipped by Albon and Esteban Ocon.
More cars emerged onto the track with 13 minutes left to go, with Lando Norris joining the track just after Max Verstappen. Verstappen seemed to be on a strong flying lap with 11 minutes to go when a lock-up cost him time, but he still shot up into second place. Lando Norris beat him to the punch to claim provisional pole with a 1.04.67.
Seemingly, the McLarens had the pace, with Norris keeping just ahead of his teammate throughout the session as they locked out the front two positions. Verstappen continued to push, keeping a competitive time at Red Bull Racing’s home ring.
As the session progressed past the halfway point, Bortoletto made a surprise appearance, shooting to fifth with five minutes to go. Carlos Sainz was at risk, with the Spaniard experiencing a snap of oversteer that damaged a promising lap time. His teammate Albon was having better luck, holding onto fifth place.
With less than two minutes to go, drivers sped to set lap times. Liam Lawson set a surprising lap time that landed him in third. Tsunoda quickly became at risk, along with Colapinto. George Russell dropped to sixteenth, before managing to scrape through to eleventh. Carlos Sainz could not find any improvement, making for three straight Q1 eliminations.
Speeding To Q2
Both Ferraris sped onto the track as Q2 began, with Charles Leclerc just outpacing his teammate with a time of 1.05.446. After a few minutes, traffic built on the track as all remaining drivers emerged to set a lap. Lawson set a surprisingly good time, going to the top of the times before Max Verstappen quickly took the position.
McLaren then came back to prove their pace, with Norris and Piastri re-establishing their front row lockout. Verstappen, however, commented that the car was undrivable, as he pitted when he only managed a fifth-place drive.
A red flag quickly stopped the session with a grass fire with five minutes to go.
A long queue formed as the session resumed with drivers eager to set a competitive time. McLaren held their dominance in first and second, with both Ferraris close behind. Bortoleto made another incredible lap, shooting up to third.
The Mercedes struggled, with both cars teetering in and out of the elimination zone with seconds to go. As the session finished, both cars scraped by as Alonso, Albon, Hadjar, Colapinto, and Bearman found themselves eliminated.
Final Sprint in Q3
There was a slow start to the final session, with a large group emerging with just nine minutes to go. Gasly and Antonelli went to the top before Piastri and Norris regained their positions, continuing their lockout.
Verstappen’s flying lap left him sixth-tenths away from the McLarens, but Charles Leclerc was able to split the two and claim second. Hamilton and Russell shot into fourth and fifth, respectively, pushing Verstappen further down the times.
The teams pitted until just over three minutes to go, where everyone emerged on fresh tyres to attempt to find extra time. A quick yellow flag affected Verstappen and Piastri due to an incident with Gasly. Norris kept pole position by over half a second, with Leclerc behind and Piastri rounding out the top three.
Bortoleto managed eighth, a personal best start for the reigning Formula 2 champion. Liam Lawson also made an impressive effort, finding himself in sixth place behind George Russell in the RB.
The wait is now on to see if Lando Norris can convert this pole position into a win for the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix!
Featured Image Credits: McLaren Racing Media
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