F1 2025: Austrian Grand Prix Qualifying Recap

Norris Takes Pole Position at the Red Bull RingMcLaren Takes the Advantage at Red Bull’s Home Ground

After a disastrous Canadian Grand Prix 2025, McLaren’s Lando Norris got his title fight back on track as he took pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix 2025, seeing off teammate and current championship leader Oscar Piastri and the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who had taken the previous five pole positions at Red Bull’s home ground, could manage only a P7 start, with the Red Bull car looking tough to drive as his teammate Yuki Tsunoda once again went out in Q1.

Here’s a quick recap of the Austrian Grand Prix 2025 qualifying session:

Q1 – Another Q1 Exit for Carlos Sainz
Nico Hülkenberg’s 1:05.681 set the early benchmark in Q1 before the top three teams got going, with McLaren’s Lando Norris going P1 with a 1:04.672 — almost half a second quicker than Max Verstappen’s first run time. After the first set of runs for the entire grid, it was Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Oliver Bearman, Fernando Alonso, and Carlos Sainz in the drop zone.

As the clock ran down, Fernando Alonso and Bearman improved, but it was Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon, Yuki Tsunoda, Carlos Sainz, and Nico Hülkenberg who missed out, with the Williams of Sainz being the big name unable to make it through to Q2 as the Spaniard suffered back-to-back Q1 exits.

Drivers eliminated in Q1:

Lance Stroll
Esteban Ocon
Yuki Tsunoda
Carlos Sainz
Nico Hülkenberg

Q2 – Alpines Suffer Double Elimination; Bortoleto Makes Top 10 for the First Time
Liam Lawson’s 1:05.248 saw the VCARB driver go P1 early in Q2 before Verstappen pipped his former teammate at the top, going 0.145s quicker, before Norris went quickest with a 1:04.410. The session saw a short red flag as the Ferraris set the grass on the pit straight on fire with a little over five minutes left.

As the flag fell for the session, Norris, Piastri, and Verstappen remained at the top, but the Alpines and the only remaining Williams struggled. VCARB’s Isack Hadjar was unable to get out of Q2, as were Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon, Franco Colapinto, and Ollie Bearman. Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto, meanwhile, made it to Q3 for the first time in his career.

Drivers eliminated in Q2:

Fernando Alonso
Alex Albon
Isack Hadjar
Franco Colapinto
Ollie Bearman

Q3 – Norris Untouchable; Gasly’s Late Spin Causes Chaos
The top 10 shootout got going with Lando Norris once again going fastest with a 1:04.268 — three-tenths quicker than his teammate. Verstappen’s first lap saw him finish six-tenths behind Norris, with Charles Leclerc putting in a strong first run to split the two McLarens, going two-tenths behind Norris.

A late yellow flag caused by a spinning Pierre Gasly, though brief, interrupted Verstappen and Piastri’s final laps. Norris went even faster on his final lap with a 1:03.971 to lock in pole position, with Leclerc more than half a second behind him to pip Piastri for a front row start. Piastri finished third ahead of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in the top five, with Lawson, Verstappen, Bortoleto, Antonelli, and Gasly rounding out the top 10.

Starting Grid for the Austrian Grand Prix 2025 (before any penalties):