It’s time to set the grid for the upcoming Austrian GP with F1 Qualifying! Will home team Red Bull manage to secure a front row start, or will instead Mercedes hold on to their impressive 2026 pole position score?
Both FP1 and FP2 were lead by Antonelli, with his British teammate George Russell securing the top spot in the earlier third practice session.
Green flag for Q1!
Haas’ s Esteban Ocon was the first driver to exit on track, marking the beginning of the Qualifying session. After the first set of attempts seven minutes into the session, Norris led in 1:07.259 from Hamilton and both Red Bull drivers, 0.001s one off the other. The Mercedes duo went in shortly after, with Antonelli shaving 0.176s off the papaya man’s effort, while Russell settled for a much lower P8.
In the bottom six, there currently are Sainz, Perez, Bottas, Ocon, Alonso and Stroll. Several drivers left the pits with three minutes lefts, with Hamilton and Verstappen taking the chance and opting for not restarting, as well as Leclerc and the McLarens.
Hulkenberg and Ocon improved their previous best efforts, demoting once again Sainz to P17 by 0.021s. At the front, Russell moved up to the top 5, still quite a bit distant to championship leader Antonelli.
Replays show the Williams man swerving off track at the final corner, definitely losing precious meters of advantage on the Frenchman.
Out in Q1: Sainz, Albon, Pérez, Bottas, Alonso, Stroll
Verstappen exited on used rubber, whereas Hadjar and Leclerc opted for new tyres. Norris was the first driver to set a lap during Q2, lapping in 1:07.321 but going off track at the final corner as well. Both Ferraris and Red Bulls went faster than the reigning F1 champion, with 0.009s separating Leclerc from Hamilton.
Once again, Antonelli proves to have the best form and feeling with his W17, setting a 1:06.763, with Piastri joining him in P2, 0.127s off the Italian’s best effort. Russell doesn’t complete his first attempt, diving into the pits after locking up at Turn 3, and he remains in P16 as the only driver with no lap times to his name.
Provisionally out would be Bortoleto, Colapinto, Bearman, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Russell. The Brit went out on track with four minutes left into the session, and as he tried to explain his lack of feeling, he got told by his team Principal Toto Wolff to just drive bring up his lack of . Norris, who had started his push lap mere seconds before the Mercedes man, settles for third 0.007s behind his teammate.
Verstappen was the only driver to opt for not doing a second push lap, provisionally in P7. There were some stressful moments for the home talent, as both Lawson and Lindblad slotted ahead of the Dutchman. Ultimately, Hulkenberg, Bearman, Bortoleto and Gasly all improved their lap times, however they all just cycled in P11, allowing the four times World Champion to advance to Q3. Alpine’s Colapinto, instead ran wide off track at Turn 1, ruining his final chance of improvement.
Out in Q2: Gasly, Bortoleto, Bearman, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Colapinto
Driver get ready to tackle the challenge of F1 Qualifying for the Austrian GP. Russell will be the last one to record his lap, with Norris and Hadjar going first. The first benchmark is a strong 1:06.900, which is demolished by Verstappen’s 1:06.475. Piastri and Leclerc slot in to provisonally fill in the podium position before the arrival of the Silver Arrows. Ultimately, both of them slotted in ahead of Verstappen, with the Italian setting an impressive 1:06.414, 0.043s ahead of his teammate.
Hamilton returned into the pits after making a mistake at Turn 3, going wide off track, asking if he could still have two attempts, but receiving a negative reply. Thus, the Barcelona-Catalunya race winner will have to make his only attempt count.
Once again, Russell opts to be the last man to drive at the Red Bull Ring, whereas Hadjar reserved the first spot. Ferrari is finding some speed, as Leclerc sets a best first sector and Hamilton improves Antonelli’s best lap by 0.006s. Leclerc went faster in 1:06.349, proving the strenght of the engine updates provided by the Italian Scuderia.
Late Q3 drama
Verstappen surprisingly after a very strong purple first sector and appearinhg right on track to imporove Leclerc’s time, collides with the wall at Turn 9.
Antonelli lifts the foot in the final sector, as a consequence of the crash, but Russell continued with his fastest attempt, going for Pole Position with a strong 1:06.113! The Brit is noted for the situation, with the stewards definitely going to verify whether he had sufficiently lifted through the yellow flags.
Leclerc, two tenths behind, will complete the front row, with Hamilton and Antonelli lining up in second row.
