Max Verstappen claimed pole position for Saturday’s sprint race in the Styrian mountains, after Lewis Hamilton’s less-than-perfect session left him scrambling to find a time on his tyres.
The top ten drivers of the session were tight on time in SQ3, having essentially just a single lap to record a competitive lap time.
Hamilton faced track limits drama after having his lap time deleted at the start of SQ1, and never really recovered, with Mercedes team-mate George Russell looking strong and once again finishing ahead of the seven-time world champion.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, however, was the driver left red-faced during SQ3, failing to get over the line before the chequered flag after suffering issues in the pit lane. The incident meant the Monegasque failed to set a time in SQ3 and will start 10th.
McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will line up behind Verstappen for the sprint race, with Russell and Carlos Sainz rounding out the top five.