Austrian Grand Prix 2024: Max Verstappen takes pole, Ferrari mismanagement costs Charles Leclerc, check sprint qualification results

Three-time regening World Champion Max Verstappen secured pole for the sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix, thrilling the Dutch fans with a lap 0.093 seconds faster than McLaren's Lando Norris, who took second.

Oscar Piastri claimed third for McLaren, followed by George Russell in fourth and Carlos Sainz in fifth. In a surprising turn, Charles Leclerc failed to cross the line in time and will start in tenth. Positions six to ten are filled by Lewis Hamilton, Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, and Leclerc, respectively. Ferrari’s mismanagement cost Leclerc dearly in the Sprint Qualification.

Lewis Hamilton escapes elimination in Q1

Lewis Hamilton narrowly escaped elimination in Q1, securing P13 after early drama with track limits and a last-moment flying lap. Though not his cleanest lap, Hamilton made it through with some luck and skill. "Are we out?" he exclaimed, to which his race engineer, Bono, replied, "Looks like we are safe."

The bottom five and out in Q1 were Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Alex Albon, and Zhou Guanyu. Yuki Tsunoda squeezed through in 15th, while Logan Sargeant outperformed his teammate to secure P14.  The top three in Q1 were Max Verstappen, George Russell, and Carlos Sainz.

Poor display from Aston Martin!

Fernando Alonso was eliminated in SQ2, marking another challenging session for Aston Martin as both drivers failed to progress, trailing behind Alpine. The bottom five in SQ2 were Kevin Magnussen, Lance Stroll, Fernando Alonso, Yuki Tsunoda, and Logan Sargeant.

Stroll remarked, “I had a big slide in the last corner!” which hindered his performance. Magnussen narrowly missed out by just 0.050 seconds to Pierre Gasly. The top three performers in Q1 were Max Verstappen, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri.

Here is the final grid for the Sprint race in Austria: