Formula One leader Max Verstappen was almost half a second quicker than team mate Sergio Perez as he led a Red Bull one-two in the pole shootout for Saturday’s standalone sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix.
The double world champion lapped his team’s home Red Bull Ring with a fastest time of one minute 04.440 seconds on a drying track to complete a qualifying double after securing pole on Friday for Sunday’s main grand prix.
Perez, a disappointing 15th on Friday, is Verstappen’s closest title rival but a massive 69 points behind after eight races so far this season.
Red Bull have won all of them, Verstappen six.
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“The track was drying out so lap after lap you were improving, you had to be on track at the right time,” said the Dutch driver.
“I think we did well. The car was in a good window, good balance. Very happy of course to be first.
“Yesterday was a shame for the team so it was good to have both cars up there today.”
Perez, who needs a strong result after four races in a row without finishing on the podium, said it was good to show what he was capable of.
“It’s nice to have a lockout in the Red Bull Ring for the team,” said the Mexican, who was 0.493 slower than his team mate. “It will be nice to get back to the victory.”
McLaren’s Lando Norris will line up in third place for the sprint with Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg fourth and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc on the row behind.
Sainz was in danger of being out in the first phase after a brake-by-wire problem but then went fastest of all with his sole flying lap.
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Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll qualified seventh and eighth.
Mercedes had a difficult shootout, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton out in the first phase and set to start in 18th place, while George Russell starts 15th after an hydraulic problem kept him in the garage.
“The sprint race doesn’t really matter anyway,” said Hamilton, who had his fastest effort deleted for exceeding track limits and was then overtaken by Verstappen while trying to set a valid lap. “I’ll just have some fun from the back.”
The race will be the second standalone sprint of the season after Baku, won by Perez in April. Points are awarded to the top eight finishers.
Haas were summoned to the stewards for a reported unsafe release of Hulkenberg in the pits, while Leclerc was under investigation for allegedly impeding McLaren’s Australian rookie Oscar Piastri.
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