Max Verstappen takes pole position for the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix sprint race
- Rob Fleming
- 1 July 2023
Lewis Hamilton will be starting today's sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix from the 18th position, as Max Verstappen secured pole position.
Lewis Hamilton finds himself in a disappointing 18th position for Saturday's sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix, as Max Verstappen secures pole position once again.
Verstappen, the defending champion, dominated the qualifying session, setting himself up for the 71-lap Grand Prix on Sunday.
Verstappen's teammate, Sergio Perez, joins him on the front row for the 23-lap sprint race, while McLaren's Lando Norris impressively secures third place on the grid. Norris, trailing almost six tenths behind Verstappen, starts ahead of Nico Hulkenberg from Haas.
It's important to note that the sprint race winner will receive eight points, but the outcome of this race does not impact Sunday's main event.
Hamilton's troubles began in the opening phase of qualifying when he had three laps invalidated for exceeding track limits. Frustrated, he radioed his race engineer, Pete Bonnington, asking if he was eliminated, to which Bonnington confirmed his elimination.
Hamilton had initially set the pace in Q1 before race director Niels Wittich penalized him for consistently running all four wheels of his Mercedes over the white line at the final corner. Consequently, Hamilton plummeted down the rankings and suffered his second early exit in qualifying within the past six years.
Verstappen had criticized Wittich's officiating during Friday's qualifying session, accusing him of treating the drivers like "amateurs." However, Wittich maintained a strict approach in the second qualifying session, penalizing not only Hamilton but also Verstappen for similar infractions.
Reflecting on his elimination, Hamilton expressed his disappointment, acknowledging that the sprint race outcome holds less significance. He mentioned his desire to still be out on the track and emphasized the team's focus on maximizing their performance. Despite starting from the back, Hamilton aims to have some fun during today's race.
Hamilton's teammate, George Russell, also faced setbacks as he encountered a hydraulic failure, resulting in a steering rack change by the Mercedes mechanics. Consequently, Russell couldn't set a lap time in Q2 and will begin the race in 15th position.
The sprint race is scheduled to start at 16:30 local time (3:30 BST).
Sprint shootout grid: 2023 Austrian Grand Prix:
1 Max VERSTAPPEN Red Bull 1:04.440
2 Sergio PEREZ Red Bull +0.493
3 Lando NORRIS McLaren +0.570
4 Nico HULKENBERG Haas +0.644
5 Carlos SAINZ Ferrari +0.696
6 Charles LECLERC Ferrari +0.805
7 Fernando ALONSO Aston Martin +0.818
8 Lance STROLL Aston Martin +0.907
9 Esteban OCON Alpine +0.926
10 Kevin MAGNUSSEN Haas +1.472
11 Alexander ALBON Williams 1:06.152
12 Pierre GASLY Alpine +0.208
13 Yuki TSUNODA AlphaTauri +0.217
14 Nyck DE VRIES AlphaTauri +0.441
15 George RUSSELL Mercedes NO TIME
16 ZHOU Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1:07.062
17 Oscar PIASTRI McLaren +0.044
18 Lewis HAMILTON Mercedes +0.220
19 Valtteri BOTTAS Alfa Romeo +0.229
20 Logan SARGEANT Williams +0.364
