It’s qualifying day on the Formulation 1 Austrian Grand Prix.
Friday’s pair of apply periods supplied a slight variation on a considerably constant theme from this season: A powerful begin from McLaren. Whereas Lando Norris sat out the primary apply session in favor of younger Alex Dunne they nonetheless put each automobiles within the prime 4 in FP1, with Oscar Piastri posting the third-fastest time within the session and Dunne simply behind him in fourth.
Norris slid again into the upgraded MCL39 for FP2 and went straight to the highest of the timing sheets, with teammate and Drivers’ Championship chief Piastri proper behind him in FP2.
Nonetheless, we have now seen this earlier than throughout the 2025 marketing campaign — a robust begin from McLaren just for a rival to take pole place on Saturday. Two drivers who’ve achieved that feat just lately, George Russell and Max Verstappen, are definitely lurking. Verstappen was second in FP1 and third in FP2, and Russell topped the timing sheets throughout Friday’s first apply session.
As is commonly the case, we’ll have the entire qualifying motion coated for you all through the day on Saturday, together with reside protection of the qualifying hour. So examine again early and infrequently, because the session will get underway at 10:00 a.m. Japanese.
Listed below are the provisional qualifying outcomes, which shall be stuffed in all through the qualifying hour:
2025 Austrian Grand Prix Qualifying Outcomes
| Row | Place | Driver | Group | Place | Driver | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Row | Place | Driver | Group | Place | Driver | Group |
| Row 1 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| Row 2 | 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 4 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| Row 3 | 5 | George Russell | Mercedes | 6 | Liam Lawson | VCARB |
| Row 4 | 7 | Max Verstappen | Purple Bull | 8 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber |
| Row 5 | 9 | Some Antonelli | Mercedes | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| Row 6 | 11 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 12 | Alex Albon | Williams |
| Row 7 | 13 | Isack Hadjar | VCARB | 14 | Franco frankntoto | Alpine |
| Row 8 | 15 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 16 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| Row 9 | 17 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | 18 | Yuki Tsunoda | Purple Bull |
| Row 10 | 19 | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Williams | 20 | Nico Hülkenberg | Sauber |
Observe: All updates are in Japanese time.
Q3
11:21: “Lando’s been very fast all weekend so it could have been a tricky problem, however I believe we simply had sufficient tempo within the automobile this weekend to be on the entrance row,” describes Piastri. “Typically it’s simply not your day.”
“I believe our tempo this weekend has regarded very robust,” provides Piastri. “I believe we’ll nonetheless have some alternatives tomorrow. I’m not planning on ending third, that’s for positive.”
11:19: “I’m very happy, it’s been a very long time, I believe since Monaco, since we began on the entrance row,” says Leclerc. “It’s an excellent begin to the weekend, we all know that we have now a greater automobile within the race than we do in qualifying, so hopefully we are able to put strain on the McLarens tomorrow.”
11:18: “It was an excellent lap, that’s for positive,” begins Norris with Coulthard trackside after the session. “I did what I deliberate to do, and once I plan to do one thing and it goes proper, it usually goes very very properly.”
11:17: Leclerc will begin alongside Norris on the entrance row, with Piastri and Hamilton on the second row behind them.
It is a great response from Norris after his incident with Piastri within the closing laps of the Canadian Grand Prix.
11:14: Verstappen backs out of his push lap. Norris is purple via sectors one and two. Leclerc can not enhance.
LANDO NORRIS TAKES POLE POSITION AT RED BULL RING!
11:13: Verstappen’s closing push lap is underway, and he’s inexperienced via the primary two sectors however nonetheless behind Norris’ tempo.
11:11: Three minutes stay in Q3 and the combat for pole is on, because the ten drivers roll out of the pits for his or her closing push laps.
11:09: Norris’ lap has him 0.224 seconds forward of Leclerc.
Piastri’s scuffle in Flip 1 implies that he can discover extra time, however as qualifying heads to the ultimate moments this appears like Norris’ pole place to lose.
Russell has been famous for an unsafe launch, dipping a wheel into the quick lane alongside pit lane whereas the Ferrari pair was rolling by the Mercedes garages.
11:08: Norris jumps to P1 with a 1:04.268. Leclerc then pumps in a strong lap that’s good for P2, splitting the McLaren duo. Verstappen’s lap is sweet for P6, behind each McLarens, each Ferraris, and Russell who’s in fifth.
11:07: Piastri jumps to P1 however Norris is purple via the primary two sectors.
11:06: Piastri would be the first to submit a time, however he was slower via the primary sector than he has been earlier right this moment.
11:04: On the ten-minute mark pit lane comes alive because the McLarens head out, together with Verstappen, Leclerc, Gasly, and Antonelli.
11:02: We’ve a inexperienced mild at Purple Bull Ring.
Additionally, it’s arduous to not really feel like it is a consequential second within the Drivers’ Championship combat. Norris has been so robust this week and once more right this moment, and has at all times been robust in Austria. However we have now seen a number of occasions already this season Norris falter in Q3 when he has been robust all week, and one will get the sense that if he delivers pole place right here within the subsequent 12 minutes, it might alter the course of the title combat.
Q2 Notes
11:00: Race officers took a take a look at an incident involving Norris and Leclerc the place the McLaren driver might have impeded with Leclerc, however officers then dismissed the incident.
10:59: No, your eyes weren’t deceiving you. Purple Bull followers introduced out a Sid the Sloth flag for Verstappen:
10:54: Antonelli survives. The 5 drivers eradicated are Alonso, Albon, Hadjar, Colapinto, and Bearman. Bortoleto makes Q3 for the primary time in his F1 profession, as he completed fifth. Gasly finishes sixth, and with Russell and Antonelli in P7 and P10, respectively, Mercedes has some work to do in Q3.
10:53: The Mercedes duo of Russell and Antonelli are preventing for a spot in Q3. Antonelli jumps to P8, whereas Russell then jumps to P5, dropping Antonelli to P9.
Russell is behind Bortoleto, which feels notable.
10:52: 90 stay in Q2 and the ultimate push laps are underway. Bearman comes throughout with a lap that jumps him to P9, whereas Bortoleto jumps to P3, which is perhaps sufficient to get him via to Q3.
10:49: The clock hits the four-minute mark and all hell breaks unfastened, as all 15 drivers roar out of their respective garages. That units up some site visitors on pit lane. However with Purple Bull Ring the shortest lap on the F1 calendar, this could nonetheless be sufficient time for all 15 drivers to submit another push lap.
10:48: Fortunately, the sunshine is inexperienced and the clock is ticking once more. Now 5 minutes stay in Q2, however no person has returned to the monitor simply but.
10:47: Nonetheless no phrase from race management when the session will resume. Consequently the commentary field on F1TV is filling a while. “After I shut my eyes I get scared,” says 13-time race winner David Coulthard when requested if he used visualization workouts.
So, yeah.
10:41: As we watch for the session to renew, the 5 drivers within the drop zone are: Albon, Bearman, Alonso, Bortoleto, and Colapinto.
10:39: The purple flag is out as there’s a grass hearth close to the ultimate nook. The clock is stopped with 5:42 remaining.
10:38: Piastri jumps to P1 for a second, however then Norris takes the spot away from him. Norris posts a lap of 1:04.401, with Piastri 0.146 seconds behind him.
Leclerc jumps to 3rd and Hamilton fourth because the Ferraris use recent softs.
Verstappen’s lap is sweet for fifth, and he complains that the automobile is “undriveable,” and that he has “no grip.” Replays present the Purple Bull driver preventing the steering at numerous moments over his current push lap.
10:37: Lawson jumps to P1 and Hadjar to P3. It’s price noting the Ferrari duo posted their early laps on used comfortable tires, whereas the VCARB pair used recent comfortable tires.
10:36: With ten minutes left in Q2 solely three drivers have posted a lap time. Leclerc leads the way in which, adopted by Hamilton and Albon.
Nonetheless, the monitor is stuffed now as the remainder of the Q2 contributors tackle Purple Bull Ring.
10:30: Q2 is underway, with quarter-hour on the clock. The Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are the primary two automobiles on the monitor.
Q1 Notes
10:25: The 5 drivers eradicated: Stroll, Ocon, Tsunoda, Sainz, and Hülkenberg.
There are some fascinating outcomes from Q1 inside the highest 5. After the McLaren duo of Norris and Piastri in P1 and P2, Liam Lawson completed third, Pierre Gasly in fourth, and Isack Hadjar in fifth.
Verstappen completed sixth in Q1.
10:23: Yuki Tsunoda is out, he’s at present in P17 because the clock runs to zero.
10:23: Alonso jumps to P8, however does so on his third new set of sentimental tires. It is perhaps sufficient to get him to Q2, however his day may finish there even when he advances.
10:21: Two minutes stay in Q1, and these are the 5 drivers within the drop zone: Sainz, Nico Hülkenberg, Stroll, Bearman, and Alonso.
10:19: Albon jumps to P4. There’s time to be discovered on the monitor, and nobody ought to really feel protected proper now.
10:18: Bortoleto pulls himself out of the drop zone and jumps to P5 with an incredible lap. Whereas the Sauber rookie has but to attain a degree this season, he has been robust all week lengthy at Purple Bull Ring.
10:17: Seven minutes stay in Q1 and the 5 drivers within the drop zone are: Gabriel Bortoleto, Alex Albon, Oliver Bearman, Fernando Alonso, and Carlos Sainz Jr.
Lance Stroll sits in P15 and is at present the “driver in danger.”
10:15: Piastri, who was down in P19 after a slide on an earlier push lap, jumps to P2 with a robust effort. However he’s nonetheless 0.332 behind Norris.
10:14: Franco Colapinto has a lap time deleted for exceeding monitor limits, which has been a difficulty at Purple Bull Ring in current seasons. Here’s a refresher on that infraction, from the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix, when it was a large storyline.
10:13: Verstappen goewst to the highest of the timing sheets, however just for a second. Norris eclipses him by 0.434 seconds moments later to take the highest spot.
10:05: We’ve a inexperienced mild on the finish of pit lane at Purple Bull Ring, and qualifying is underway. Alex Albon leads the drivers out adopted by the Aston Martin pair of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso.
9:59: As a reminder, qualifying in F1 is unfold over three segments. Within the first, Q1, all 20 drivers take part and have 18 minutes to submit lap occasions. On the finish of the 18 minutes the 5 slowest drivers are eradicated, and the 15 remaining drivers advance to Q2. The clock will reset with quarter-hour on it, and the laps start once more. On the finish of these quarter-hour the 5 slowest drivers are eradicated, leaving ten drivers left for Q3, the 12 minute shootout.
9:58: Race management notes that Q1 will begin at 4:05 native time/10:05 Japanese.
FP3 Notes
9:41: Norris once more topped the timing sheets in FP3, forward of Piastri and Verstappen. However we have now seen this earlier than, with the McLaren driver main the way in which up till Q3, the place he opens the door for considered one of his rivals to nip him for pole place.
Will that occur once more, or is that this going to be Norris’ day?
