Austrian Grand Prix, qualifying: Norris is back!

The first official stage of the Austrian Grand Prix, the qualifying session, was marked by unusual heat, McLaren dominance, and blazing grass.

In Q1, the McLarens, considered the favorites of the weekend, led throughout, with Lando Norris particularly in his element, but Oscar Piastri's pace was also strong. Max Verstappen was able to close in on them, and just before the end of the session, Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly, and Isack Hadjar managed to squeeze in ahead of him. However, Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda, Carlos Sainz, and Nico Hülkenberg were not so fortunate, as they had to say goodbye prematurely.

Q2 brought an interesting lineup, as it started with the participation of all rookie drivers. In the end, only Kimi Antonelli and Gabriel Bortoleto made it to Q3, while there was still no change at the top: once again, it was Norris and Piastri... Meanwhile, there was a red flag interruption as the grass caught fire on the podium side of the finish straight, leading to a brief forced break. Everyone was gearing up for the last laps, but those who couldn't make it included Fernando Alonso, Alexander Albon, Isack Hadjar, Franco Colapinto, and Oliver Bearmen.

After the first attempts in Q3, the standings were Norris, Leclerc, Piastri, making it ripe for a surprise, as we would see an absolute top field without a Red Bull Racing and Mercedes in tomorrow's race. And so it was, Lando Norris was unbeatable this afternoon, and the Scuderia Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc also performed very strongly, as they managed to sneak ahead of Oscar Piastri!

Photo: GpFans