Live: F1 Austrian GP updates - FP1 & Qualifying | Live text

By: Megan White, James Newbold

Summary


	Summary Max Verstappen takes fourth consecutive pole for Red Bull at F1's Austrian Grand Prix A late effort from Charles Leclerc puts him on the front row at the Red Bull Ring ahead of Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz and McLaren's Lando Norris George Russell, Esteban Ocon, Oscar Piastri, Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez out in Q2 Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu, Logan Sargeant, Kevin Magnussen and Nyck de Vries out in Q1 The Red Bull Ring is hosting F1's second sprint event of 2023
	Leaderboard Verstappen, Red Bull Leclerc, Ferrari Sainz, Ferrari Norris, McLaren Hamilton, Mercedes Stroll, Aston Martin Alonso, Aston Martin Hulkenberg, Haas Gasly, Alpine Albon, Williams

Status: Stopped

19:22 Thanks for joining us on the live blog today. We'll be back tomorrow with all the action from qualifying and the sprint race. In the meantime, make sure to keep tabs on the website for all the news and reaction to qualifying, including the inevitable track limits debate!

19:21 He had his scares, but Max Verstappen secured pole position for Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, his 26th in F1 to draw level in the all-time stakes with Mika Hakkinen. Here's the full report from Alex Kalinauckas: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-austrian-gp-verstappen-sees-off-leclerc-for-pole-by-0048s/10489562/

19:19 One team that will certainly hope to see an improvement is AlphaTauri, the only operation to lose both cars in Q1. De Vries brings up the rear of the grid in 20th, while Tsunoda will start Sunday's Grand Prix in 16th.

19:18 A little over a tenth between Russell and Albon, but it was all the difference between making Q3 and not for the 2022 Brazilian GP winner. Tomorrow we'll do this all again to decide the sprint race grid - will the results change?

19:14

19:13 And an encouraging day for Ferrari as Leclerc comes within a whisker of snatching pole away. Sainz in third makes it a strong team result, as the Prancing Horse seeks to close its deficit to Aston Martin in the constructors' standings.

19:11 That's a fourth pole in a row for Verstappen, who last missed out on the top spot in Miami at the start of May.

19:10 Hulkenberg ends up eighth, 11 positions ahead of his team-mate, then Gasly and Albon complete the top 10.

19:09 Stroll redeems himself after losing the banker time to track limits as he outqualifies Alonso - for only the second time this year - in sixth and seventh positions. Back on a high downforce track, Aston appear to have regressed a little.

19:08 Leclerc leaps back ahead of Sainz, who takes third, while Norris is fourth ahead of Hamilton. A strong return to form for the McLaren driver who started on the front row in 2021.

19:07 Verstappen takes pole. But goodness, it was close though! Leclerc is just 0.048s down after a blistering effort.

19:06 Verstappen improves again and sets a 1m04.391s. Surely that won't be beaten!

19:05

19:04 Time for the final runs then, as everyone bar Albon heads out for their last whirl of the dice (until tomorrow's sprint qualifying that is).

19:03 The answer is yes! Albon moves up to sixth, usurping Alonso and Gasly. But only for a split second - he's done the same as Stroll and loses that lap for running too wide at Turn 9.

19:02 Now with an empty track, Albon is going again. Can he lift himself up from eighth?

19:01 Stroll becomes the first driver to fall foul of track limits in Q3. He's run too wide at Turn 9 and is docked his banker lap.

19:01 Hamilton ends up fifth after his first run. Interestingly, he was fastest in sector one, and Leclerc the benchmark through sector two. But it's sector three pace-setter Verstappen who averaged out best across the lap.

18:59 Verstappen's advantage is 0.206s for the time being over Leclerc, who is himself two tenths ahead of Sainz.

18:58 Gasly and Albon slot in ahead of Stroll and Hulkenberg. Hamilton is yet to set a time and is now on his outlap.

18:58 Leclerc goes second ahead of Sainz, Norris and Alonso.

18:57 Drivers are gunning for their first flying laps of Q3 now, and Verstappen as you'd expect is turning the splits purple. A 1m04.503s puts him fastest.

18:56 Well, this is quite the stat. Worrying times for Perez as he misses Q3 for a fourth time in a row. That's the first time since 2008 this has happened to a Red Bull driver.

18:54 We're green for Q3 and Albon is the first man out.

18:54 Red Bull's PR team summarise the situation perfectly. "For Checo, both lap times in Q2 were easily good enough to move him into Q3 but the white line doesn't move".

18:52

18:52 Well, we wondered aloud whether track limits would become a talking point of the day. Perez being booted out for repeated track limits in Q2 appears to have answered our question.

18:51 Your 10 drivers to compete for pole are Verstappen, Sainz, Norris, Leclerc, Stroll, Alonso, Hamilton, Gasly, Hulkenberg and Albon. A good effort then from Hulkenberg too, as both he and Albon lost team-mates in Q1.

18:49 That means its another Q3 appearance for Alex Albon and Williams, who are on a strong run of form at the moment.

18:49 Perez is joined in the drop zone by Russell (11th), Ocon, Piastri and Bottas.

18:48 This time it's running too wide on the exit of Turn 10 that is Perez's undoing and he will start 15th on Sunday without a valid representative time. Those words about getting a banker in now appear very prophetic.

18:46 But as the checkered flag comes out, that's another track limits for Perez. He's out!

18:46 Perez does the job asked of him and lodges a 1m04.990s to go second, edging Albon into the drop zone.

18:45 Verstappen, Sainz, Norris, Leclerc, Hamilton, Gasly, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Albon and Russell are our top 10 as it stands. Who will make it into Q3 after these final runs?

18:45 For Alonso, Perez and Russell, the crime was running too wide at Turn 9. "We just need to get that banker in," Perez is told as he crawls slowly around the track before embarking on his final run. His engineer clarifies that he was pinged for opening up the entry of Turn 10 too much.

18:43 Both Mercedes vaulted themselves into the top 10 on that last run, muscling Ocon and Stroll out. They're currently facing the drop along with Piastri, Bottas and, yes Perez! The second Red Bull driver is the latest to lose a lap to track limits.

18:42 Just 0.087s split the top three as Norris goes third. Alonso has a lap disallowed, dumping him back to ninth ahead of Albon.

18:40 Verstappen now punches in a 1m04.951s to position himself first again, while Sainz improves to second on a 1m05.036s.

18:39 "This is a joke honestly with these track limits," complains Verstappen over the radio. Can't say he's not trying hard.

18:38 A 1m05.308s for Gasly slots him into second as Ocon goes fifth to split Spaniards Alonso and Sainz.

Live: F1 Austrian GP updates - FP1 & Qualifying

Follow the live action as the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix gets under way on Friday.

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