Austrian Grand PrixFormula One leader Max Verstappen takes pole position, Sergio Perez fails to make Top 10

By India Today Sports DeskMax Verstappen secured a comfortable pole position at the Red Bull team’s home Grand Prix in Austria, edging out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by a mere 0.048 seconds. It was a strong showing for Ferrari as Carlos Sainz completed the top three, with Lando Norris taking fourth place in the upgraded McLaren.

Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes settled for fifth place, while the Aston Martins of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso followed closely behind. However, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez continued to struggle, failing to make it into the top 10 for the fourth consecutive race.

Perez faced challenges with track limits throughout qualifying, repeatedly having his laps deleted due to running too wide at Turns Nine and 10. Consequently, he will start the Grand Prix from 15th position on Sunday.

Verstappen’s pole position marked his fourth consecutive pole. Talking about the difficulty posed by track limits, he said”It was very difficult because of all the track limits. We don’t do this on purpose but with these speeds and high-speed corners it is very difficult to judge the white line. A lot of people were being caught out, including me. It takes out the joy a little bit but still a very good lap.”

Leclerc delivered an impressive performance, pushing his Ferrari to the limits and securing a front-row starting position. He expressed satisfaction with his clean qualifying session, saying, “It feels good to finally have a clean qualifying again and to be back on the front row. The feeling has been a bit better in the last few races. It was all about building up to the last lap, and I managed to put everything in. Very close to the Red Bulls. I don’t think we expected to be that close.”

With Verstappen and Leclerc leading the grid, the stage is set for an intense battle during the Grand Prix as the drivers vie for victory on Red Bull’s home turf.