Sprint qualifying in Spielberg
Hulkenberg dupes Ferraris, Mercedes suffers
7/1/2023 1:02 p.m
In Austria, the Formula 1 entourage is running a sprint race for the first time this season. In qualifying for the afternoon race, the remaining German pilot beats a few celebrities, Mercedes suffers a disaster and Max Verstappen is unbelievably superior.
Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen secured pole position in the second qualifying session at the Austrian Grand Prix. The 25-year-old fought his way into first place for the sprint only a few hours later in a superior time of 1:04.440 minutes. Behind the Red Bull driver from the Netherlands, his teammate Sergio Perez finished second, third was Lando Norris in the McLaren. Nico Hülkenberg drove the Haas racing car to a strong fourth place in Spielberg. In the finale of the last short session, the Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were no longer able to counter Hülkenberg’s strong lap and lined up behind the Haas driver.
Mercedes experienced a disaster: record world champion Lewis Hamilton surprisingly only occupied the 18th position and has hardly a chance in the afternoon (4.30 p.m./Sky and in the live ticker on ntv.de) to get far ahead in a short race of only 100 kilometers. Teammate George Russell finished 15th in the second Silver Arrow after being unable to ride in the second qualifying session due to a hydraulic problem.
During the hunt for times, it was significantly cooler than on a summery Friday. After hours of rain, the track became increasingly dry as the unit progressed. The use of rain tires was not necessary. The main race in Styria takes place on Sunday. Verstappen has the chance of his seventh win of the season in the ninth World Championship race in first place on the grid. He leads the overall World Championship standings with a 69-point lead over Mexican Perez.