F1: Verstappen qualifies first for Austrian sprint race
SPIELBERG, Austria –
Defending champion Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen continued his dominant form as he qualified first for the sprint race that takes place later on Saturday at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The runaway championship leader, who had already secured pole position for Sunday’s GP, was 0.49 seconds faster than his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez and 0.57 ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. Nico Hulkenberg qualified in fourth place ahead of the Ferrari duo Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc.
But Leclerc will start from ninth after taking a three-place grid penalty for impeding McLaren driver Oscar Piastri, while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso moves up to sixth, his team-mate Lance Stroll starts from seventh and Esteban Alpine’s Ocon from eighth.
The abbreviated qualifying format – known in F1 as the “sprint shootout” – sets the grid for a 17-lap sprint race later, where seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton will start from 18th after being knocked out in the early part of the race. sprint qualification. Hamilton looked pensive as he walked back through the paddock to rejoin his team’s garage.
Leclerc just squeezed into Q2 where Mercedes’ bad day continued. Mechanics worked frantically on George Russell’s wheelhouse due to a hydraulic problem, but could not get the car ready in time. He will start from 15th place in the sprint race, if his car is repaired in time.
The Austrian GP is the second of six F1 events to feature a sprint race format on Saturday, where the winner gets eight points and the second driver seven, down to one point for eighth. Perez won the sprint race in Azerbaijan, Verstappen finished third.
Verstappen and other drivers chafed the race stewards on Friday for being too strict about staying within track limits in qualifying for Sunday’s race, where Verstappen will start from pole position for the fourth race in a row, sixth this season and 26th overall .
On Sunday he will start for Leclerc and Sainz.
FERNLEY TRIBUTE
F1 president Stefano Domenicali has paid tribute to former Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley, who died aged 70. His death was announced by F1 on Friday night. Further details were not given.
“He was such an important part of Formula 1 and his love and passion for the sport will live on forever,” Domenicali said.
Fernley briefly worked with McLaren as president of the Indianapolis 500 return project until he was fired in 2019 when Fernando Alonso failed to qualify. He replaced Domenicali as chairman of the FIA’s single-seater Commission from 2020 to 2022.
Ocon, who joined Force India in 2017, called Fernley “an amazing person and leader” on Twitter.
Fernley left the team when it was sold to Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll in August 2018. Stroll changed the name of the team first to Racing Point and then Aston Martin.
