Max takes pole for sprint at Red Bull Ring: 'We have a good car'

Published on 08 July 2022 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen clinched pole position for Saturday’s Austrian Grand Prix sprint. The Oracle Red Bull Racing driver clocked the fastest lap around the Red Bull Ring ahead of the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz

“It was a long wait between the two runs because of the red flags”, said Max. “Once you’re in rhythm, you just want to continue. So it wasn’t great, especially because the track temperature dropped and the wind direction changed. In the end, it was very close and this is a challenging circuit to do a good lap. There aren’t that many corners so it’s easy to make a mistake. I’m happy with pole, but points are scored tomorrow and Sunday.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s sprint, Max said: “I think we have a good car. Normally qualifying isn’t our strong point. I hope we have a good start and stay out of trouble in the first corner. Of course, anything can happen, but I feel comfortable in the car.”

Max concluded by thanking the many fans that have travelled to Austria to support him. “It’s unbelievable how much orange there is and it’s been happening for years now. It definitely brings a smile to my face. Hopefully we can make it a good weekend.”

Max opens his qualifying session with a timed lap that looks like P1, but a track limit infringement means the reigning champion gets his time deleted. His second attempt is within the limits and his 1:05.8 grants him P3 and a spot in Q2. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren), Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo), Nicolas Latifi (Williams) and the two Aston Martins of Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll fail to progress to the next part of qualifying.

In Q2, both Red Bulls, Ferraris and Mercedes make it through comfortably, although Sergio Perez’ first lap was deleted due to failing to stay within the track limits. On his second run, the Mexican secured his spot in the top ten shootout. Further back, the Alpha Tauris of Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsnuoda, the Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas, the Williams of Alex Albon and the McLaren of Lando Norris all strand in Q2.

The third and final qualifying segment turns out to be eventful. After most drivers have set their first ‘banker’ lap, in which Max leads Leclerc and Sainz, Lewis Hamilton crashes in turn seven. The red flag is waved to allow the marshals to remove the stricken Mercedes and for the medical team to confirm Hamilton is okay.

With six minutes left on the clock, the session is resumed but soon after another red flag is shown. This time, it is George Russell who crashes. The Mercedes driver loses control in the final turn and ends up in the tyres.

After the marshals do another stellar job in clearing the track and getting the session under way, it is a straight fight for pole position between Leclerc, Sainz and Max. The Monegasque is the first to set his time and takes provisional pole. Seconds later, Sainz crosses the line but has to settle for second. Max is last of the front runners to clock his time. When he does, the Red Bull Ring erupts with the Dutchman taking pole ahead of the Ferraris.

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Results qualifying Austria: