SPIELBERG, Austria — Max Verstappen edged Lando Norris by a mere .093 seconds to earn the pole for Saturday’s Sprint Race during the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring.
Verstappen, the three-time world champion driving for Red Bull, delivered on his last flying lap during the third and final qualifying session, turning a circuit of 1 minute and 4.686 seconds to clear Norris’ McLaren by less than a second.
“It was a positive day today. I am happy as we started off the day well and the car was in a good window,” Verstappen said. “There was a small issue with the sensor in the practice session but we fixed that really quickly. Heading into qualifying, the car was really strong and I could push. We were quick in the high speed, which is important round here and hopefully we can keep that going tomorrow. Of course, there are always areas that we can do better so we will look at that tonight.
“Looking to the Sprint race tomorrow, this will give us an early indication of how the pace of the car will be for the race. But all in all, it was definitely a good start and I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend.”
Norris’ teammate, Oscar Piastri, will start third.
Mercedes driver George Russell and Ferrari ace Carlos Sainz completed the top five.
Lewis Hamilton will start sixth.