Verstappen is unstoppable after forced break
Max Verstappen faces no Electronics issues during training, impressing on one of his favorite circuits. The Dutch driver will start the Formula-1 Sprint in Austria from pole position on Sunday (12 PM on RTL and Sky). Nico Hülkenberg had a disappointing afternoon.
World champion Max Verstappen will start the Formula-1 Sprint in Austria from pole position. The 26-year-old Dutch driver earned the Pole Position for the sprint race on Saturday (12 PM on RTL and Sky) at the Red Bull Ring of his employer with a time of 1:04.686 minutes. Lando Norris finished second in the time trials with a 0.093-second deficit, while his teammate Oscar Piastri took third place. German Nico Hülkenberg finished 17th with his Haas race car.
"It's great to be first here. That was a fantastic day for my fans," Verstappen said. "We still have a lot of work to do, but that was a great start to the weekend for us." Verstappen had already secured the Pole Position in the sprint in Miami and now has the best chances for the next win.
Previously, the three-time champion had electronics issues in training and had to take a brief compulsory stop. In qualifying, Verstappen set the best time in all three sessions, only very briefly being challenged at the end. The course in Styria is one of Verstappen's favorite tracks. This is also because thousands of Dutch fans support him in the stands.
Verstappen leads comfortably in the standings
The third of a total of six sprint weekends in this season takes place in Austria. After the race over 100 kilometers, where the winner receives eight WM points, the qualifying for the actual Grand Prix takes place on Saturday afternoon a day later.
Before the 11th of a total of 24 season races on Sunday (3 PM/Sky), title defender Verstappen leads the standings comfortably with 69 points. Two points behind is Norris, while Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari is in third place, only two points further back.
Verstappen's dominance continues in Formula 1, with Red Bull Racing. His pole position in the sprint race in Austria puts him in a strong position for the upcoming Grand Prix. Despite facing issues with electronics earlier in the season, Verstappen has significantly outperformed his competitors, including Nico Hülkenberg and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
