In Austria, Norris secured the pole position, clinching a narrow lead of half a second.

Lando Norris established absolute control in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix by setting a lap time of 1:03.971, leaving him five tenths ahead of his competitors - the largest pole position margin of the entire 2025 season.

McLaren's absolute dominance at the Red Bull Ring

The McLaren driver controlled every segment of the session at the Red Bull Ring, despite not participating in FP1. Charles Leclerc secured second place for Ferrari with a 1:04.492, managing to split the two McLarens, while Oscar Piastri completed the top 3 despite being unable to improve his final attempt due to a yellow flag caused by Pierre Gasly.

Photo By Mclaren

The interruption in the final moments of Q3 affected several drivers. Piastri and Max Verstappen were on flying laps when Gasly lost control of his Alpine, forcing them to abort their attempts. The Dutch Red Bull driver will start seventh at his home circuit, where he had taken pole in the last four editions.

Qualifying Top 10

Lewis Hamilton placed fourth with Ferrari, followed by George Russell in the Mercedes. Liam Lawson delivered an excellent performance by qualifying sixth with Racing Bulls, even beating Verstappen.

Gabriel Bortoleto achieved his best qualifying as a Formula 1 rookie. The Brazilian Kick Sauber driver reached Q3 for the first time and will start eighth, one year after winning at the same venue when competing in Formula 2. Kimi Antonelli was ninth for Mercedes, while Gasly closed out the top 10 despite his final spin.

Fire interrupts Q2 and complicates strategies

A fire near the final corner triggered a red flag during Q2. The blaze started where Hamilton had gone off track moments earlier, forcing the session to be stopped with just over five minutes remaining. The restart created chaotic conditions with all 15 drivers seeking fast laps simultaneously.

Fernando Alonso was eliminated in eleventh position with Aston Martin, failing to reach Q3 while his protégé Bortoleto achieved a great result. Alex Albon was twelfth in a difficult day for Williams, followed by Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls), Franco Colapinto (Alpine) and Oliver Bearman (Haas).

Photo By Mclaren

Q1 disappointments

Pressure mounts on Yuki Tsunoda after being eliminated in Q1 at Red Bull's home event. The Japanese driver will start eighteenth, just 0.250s slower than Verstappen, but that small difference meant early elimination while his teammate progressed.

Carlos Sainz extended his poor run by falling in Q1 for the third consecutive race. The Spanish Williams driver reported possible car damage after finishing nineteenth. Lance Stroll (16th), Esteban Ocon (17th) and Nico Hülkenberg (20th) also exited in the first segment.

The grid is set for Sunday's race at the Red Bull Ring, where Norris will look to convert his qualifying advantage into a victory that brings him closer to Piastri in the drivers' championship.

Full qualifying results

FORMULA 1 MSC CRUISES AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 2025 - QUALIFYING