Q2: Vettel out
The second German, in twelfth place in Q2, also failed to make it into Q3. Out are Albon, Vettel, Gasly, Zhou and Tsunoda. Hugely lucky for Norris: He would have been eliminated, but because Zhou missed a time, he made it into Q3 in tenth place.
The favorites didn’t drive at all at the front, so the best time stayed with Leclerc.
Call up all current information in the session live ticker!
Q2: Ferrari stays ahead
In the second segment, too, the Scuderia has the edge at the beginning. Leclerc leads Verstappen with a 1:35.246. But once again as a reminder: Because of his penalty, the Monegasque won’t be on pole tomorrow anyway.
By the way, Albon, Tsunoda, Stroll, Gasly and Vettel would be out at the moment. The last six minutes are already running.
Call up all current information in the session live ticker!
Q1: Schumacher out
Vettel comes through, but Schumacher misses his last lap. He finishes penultimate and is therefore eliminated. Also out are teammate Magnussen, Ricciardo, Ocon and Latifi. A disappointment for sure for McLaren and Alpine – and of course for Haas.
Hamilton gets his fastest lap time removed due to track limits. But he still gets through.
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Q1: Ferrari takes the lead
All 20 drivers have now set a time, and currently Latifi, Tsunoda, Albon, Ricciardo and Magnussen would be out. Schumacher and Vettel also have to tremble for Q2 on P13 and P14.
At the top are the two Ferrari drivers. Sainz leads Leclerc with a 1:35.297. This is the fastest time of the weekend so far! The Spaniard is half a second ahead of the rest of the world.
There are six minutes left on the clock.
Call up all current information in the session live ticker!
Q1: Schumacher in front
Meanwhile, a German is leading the way! Doesn’t mean anything yet though, as only four drivers have set a time so far. Schumacher is ahead with a 1:37.816. But that probably won’t even be enough for Q2.
He is currently leading, but – based on the FT3 times – he will definitely have to improve again.
Call up all current information in the session live ticker!
Wolff praises Mateschitz’ life’s work
They’re big rivals on the track, but that’s secondary today. In a Mercedes statement, Toto Wolff explains that Mateschitz was “one of the greatest and most visionary entrepreneurs in the world”.
“What Dietrich Mateschitz did for Formula 1 was unprecedented,” said Wolff, who said on behalf of Mercedes: “We send our deepest sympathy to his family and friends.”
Q1: Open the session ticker now!
Q1 will start in a few minutes. Here at this point you will find the most important information, pictures and voices. As always, you can get the full coverage in our session ticker with Stefan Ehlen.
It’s best to just let both tickers run in parallel. And if you want to know how to watch the live stream of Formula 1 in Austin, you can find out here!
Domenicali: “An incredibly visionary entrepreneur”
The Formula 1 boss has also published a statement and said he was “sad” about the news. Mateschitz was “an incredibly visionary entrepreneur” and helped transform the whole sport.
“I will miss him very much, as will the whole Formula 1 community,” explains Domenicali. So we’re slowly shifting our focus back to the sporting events and qualifying in Austin.
Horner: Mateschitz “a great man”
The Red Bull team boss has just commented on ‘Sky’ and described the news as “very, very sad”. Mateschitz was “a great man” and did a lot for many different people around the world.
The whole team is “grateful” to him, says the team boss, who is visibly moved. They now want to compete in qualifying in his spirit and give “the best for him”. You owe Mateschitz an incredible amount.
Red Bull record
It’s always difficult to get back to “business as usual” after news like this. So let’s just look at Red Bull’s impressive record in Formula 1.
The racing team started under this name for the first time in 2005, and since then they have won 89 races, six times the driver’s and four times the constructor’s world championship. A fifth title is imminent.
Maybe this weekend…
Photo gallery: All Formula 1 cars from Red Bull
Dietrich Mateschitz died
Sad news reached us shortly before Red Bull’s qualifying. Dietrich Mateschitz, founder of Red Bull, died at the age of 78 after a long illness.
Mateschitz first came into contact with Formula 1 in the mid-1980s when he was able to win over the Austrian racing driver Gerhard Berger as his first Red Bull testimonial from the sport.
In 1995, Red Bull entered Formula 1 on a larger scale as a sponsor and shareholder of the Swiss Sauber team. In 2004 he took over the Jaguar team (today Red Bull Racing) and 2005 Minardi (today Scuderia AlphaTauri).
Mateschitz is survived by his son Mark Gerhardter, who comes from a previous relationship with Anita Gerhardter, and his longtime partner Marion Feichtner.
© LAT
A little bit of fun is always good …
Less than 45 minutes until qualifying, but we’ll get back to you with a funny little clip here in the ticker. Do you know Conor Moore? He is known on the Internet for his parodies – including those of Formula 1 drivers.
Mercedes picked up the gag once, and this is what came out:
Problem with Alfa Romeo
Not only Haas had to struggle with technical difficulties in FT3. Zhou was only able to complete three laps in the Alfa Romeo and therefore finished last. The team does not reveal exactly what the problem was.
It’s still under investigation, they say. Of course you should hurry, because Q1 starts in less than two hours…
Sargeant: Nationality doesn’t matter
Earlier we talked about the future Williams driver in 2023 becoming the first American in more than seven years to drive a Formula 1 race. “It’s good for Formula 1 to have an American driver,” explains Jost Capito.
“But we have Logan [damals] not selected for the academy because he is American. We chose him because of his achievements and his past in racing.”
It is “nice” that there will be an American in Formula 1 again in 2023. However, it was not the reason for the decision to promote the young driver, according to Capito.
track limits
So far they haven’t been an issue. But: As is well known, no lap times will be canceled in practice this year. That only happens after qualifying. And there could be problems for one or the other driver.
Because in the course of FT3 we saw a few laps that would certainly have been left out in qualifying. The pilots will have to pull themselves together afterwards…
FT3: Closing time!
That was it, the session is over – and the favorites got even better at the end! The best time goes to Verstappen with a 1:35.825. This is the first and so far only 1:35 time of the weekend.
Leclerc is around three tenths behind second. But as a reminder: The Monegasque cannot be on pole tomorrow anyway because of his grid penalty. Qualifying is in two hours. Before that, as usual, the FT3 overview:
result