Red Bull Ring: Max Verstappen in pole position, Charles Leclerc on the front row, Sergio Pérez lost

Verstappen laughing, Pérez crying. The qualification for the ninth round of the World Cup, Friday in Austria, turned into a game of massacre because the cancellations of time were legion there. With a notorious victim, Sergio Pérez (Red Bull). Ambitious at the start of the season – he claimed to be able to challenge the world title to his leader Max Verstappen -, in difficulty since his victory in Baku, the Mexican really exploded in full flight under the pressure of the exercise in Q2, with the cancellation of all his lap times (three in total) and relegation to 15th place on the grid. And it was enough to look at the head of his boss, Christian Horner, on the low wall to understand the extent of the discomfort.

Others were pinched but in the end, we find a hierarchy that we know well, with Verstappen in pole position, but without hovering above the fray. Because Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) was determined to challenge him. The fastest in free practice 1, in Q1 and in Q2, the double world champion finished the job dazzlingly in 1’04″391, with in particular a high-flying third sector, which his Monegasque competitor imitated without beat him. But it was close: 0.048 exactly.

This qualifying session for the Austrian Grand Prix therefore showed the failings of modern-day drivers. Each circuit in the Formula 1 world championship seeks to have its own signature, something that sets it apart from all of them, and it’s safe to say that Spielberg is one of a kind. The impressive Dutch “Oranje Army” rushed there en masse on the Red Bull Ring, the track owned by the employer of his idol Max Verstappen, but later returned to Zandvoort and elsewhere. No, what makes it specific are the problems of respecting track limits – you must not go beyond the white lines – which become an ultimate test for pilots. And it’s at least a justice of the peace on this circuit which has only nine turns.

Verstappen at home in Spielberg

Without flirting with the limits of the track as the driver from the Principality did, “Super Max” therefore laid the groundwork for his third world title a little more – which no one seems able to challenge him today – by obtaining his 26th career peak position, his fourth in a row, and his fourth in a row also at Spielberg, including the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix.

Behind these two timekeeping specialists, Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) cut a good figure by reserving the third slot on the starting grid on Sunday, with a performance of 0.190. excellent advantage of the important developments made for him alone by McLaren.The Englishman, who like the Madrid native is struggling to hide his discussions with Audi for 2026, failed at 0″267.

But fortunately, it is not necessary to remember only the twists and turns of this hour at a chaotic moment, because we were treated to a few other purely sporting surprises. It indeed appeared quite quickly that Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) was having a good weekend. Sixth, the often mocked Canadian beat for the second time of the year – for 0 “018 – his teammate Fernando Alonso, seventh. Nico Hülkenberg (Haas), eighth, was ahead of Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and Alexander Albon (Williams) in the rest of the top 10.

So what about George Russell (Mercedes) and Esteban Ocon (Alpine)? The Briton and the Frenchman stayed at the door of Q3 for more or less the same reason: a single-seater that was quite difficult to operate and sanctioned off-roads.