Norris Takes Pole in Austria, Verstappen Seventh After Qualifying Drama

Lando Norris clinched a commanding pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix. Late yellow flags significantly impacted championship leader Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen, causing frustration.

Norris demonstrated exceptional pace throughout the weekend, topping every session since Free Practice 2. His qualifying performance was superb, finishing over half a second clear of Charles Leclerc – the largest pole margin seen so far in the 2025 F1 season.

Both Piastri, who holds a 22-point lead over Norris in the Drivers` Championship, and Verstappen were unable to complete their final runs in Q3. This was due to yellow flags triggered by a spin from Pierre Gasly. However, it was widely believed that even clean laps from them would not have been enough to match Norris`s speed.

Lewis Hamilton achieved his best qualifying result of the year, securing fourth place. He starts ahead of teammate George Russell and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson.

Verstappen, trailing Piastri by 43 points in the standings, had to settle for seventh. He was on course for a potential front-row start before being forced to lift off his final lap due to Gasly`s incident just before the penultimate corner.

Sauber`s Gabriel Bortoleto reached Q3 for the first time and qualified eighth. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli was ninth, with Gasly rounding out the top 10.

Red Bull`s Yuki Tsunoda experienced his third consecutive Q1 elimination and will start Sunday`s race at the Red Bull Ring from 18th.

`Outstanding` Norris Performance Boosts Title Aspirations

Following an incident with his teammate in Canada, Norris rebounded strongly in Austria, showing pace from the outset.

After sitting out Free Practice 1 while Irish teenager Alex Dunne made an impressive debut, Norris topped both FP2 and FP3, carrying that momentum into qualifying.

He comfortably led Q1, and while Piastri was close in Q2, the stage seemed set for a close fight for pole.

However, Norris unlocked even more speed in Q3. He set a 1:04.268 on his first attempt, taking provisional pole by 0.228s over Leclerc, and then improved dramatically with a blistering 1:03.971 on his final run.

Naomi Schiff on Lando Norris

Sky Sports F1`s Naomi Schiff:
`We`ll never truly know how close Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen might have gotten, but you have to commend Lando.
`He executed perfectly, didn`t make any mistakes on the lap, and his performance this weekend has been outstanding so far.`

Reflecting on his lap, Norris said: “My Q3 run one was good, but I knew there were sections where, if I executed them perfectly, I could find quite a bit more time, and that`s exactly what I did.”

“I achieved what I set out to do, and when my plan comes together like that, it usually works out very well. So I`m very happy. It was a good day and a good weekend for me so far, and hopefully, we can keep this momentum.”

“It`s a long season, and I still cherish moments like this, especially considering some of my tougher times have been in qualifying. So, putting in a lap like today and performing as I did was very satisfying for me. I`m excited. I want to keep proving myself, and hopefully, this is just the beginning.”

Piastri was nearly three tenths behind Norris after the first Q3 runs. Unfortunately for him and Verstappen, Gasly spun directly in front of them just as they were about to start their final flying laps.

DRS was briefly disabled by the stewards, and Piastri was unable to get a clean exit from the final corner to properly begin his lap, denying him the opportunity to challenge his teammate.

“Lando has been incredibly fast all weekend, and it would have been a tough battle,” Piastri commented. “However, I believe we definitely had the pace in the car this weekend to be on the front row.”

“It`s always disappointing when you don`t even get the chance, but we can still aim for a strong race from this position. Sometimes, it`s simply not your day.”

Verstappen was projected to qualify second or third before the yellow flag. Starting seventh means he faces a challenging race to potentially secure a record-extending sixth victory at the Red Bull Ring.

Despite being unhappy with his car`s balance during qualifying, the reigning world champion showed strong race pace in final practice and will be looking to move forward past the Mercedes and Ferraris.

Leclerc capitalized on the yellow flag disruption to secure his third front-row start of the year. Hamilton`s fourth place marks his best Saturday qualifying result of 2025, providing encouragement for Ferrari, especially given the new floor introduced this weekend.

Elsewhere, Liam Lawson also achieved his personal best qualifying result, starting sixth for Racing Bulls. His teammate Isack Hadjar was knocked out in Q2, qualifying 13th.

Similar to Tsunoda, Williams driver Carlos Sainz suffered his third consecutive Q1 elimination. He will start the Austrian Grand Prix from the back row alongside Sauber`s Nico Hulkenberg.

Austrian GP Qualifying Results