Max starts Austria GP on pole: 'Very difficult with the track limits'

Published on 30 June 2023 by Florence Cobben

Max Verstappen has claimed pole position for the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix. It is the fourth consecutive pole for the reigning world champion. Despite the struggle that Max and his fellow competitors had with staying inside the track limits of the Red Bull Ring, he nevertheless managed to secure a place at the top of the timesheets. Charles Leclerc took second, with a lap time just four-hundredths after Max. His teammate Carlos Sainz took third place. Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton took fourth and fifth place respectively.

“Today was very difficult with the track limits,” Max explained after the race. “We’re not doing it on purpose, but with these speeds, and all these high-speed corners, it’s so hard to judge the white line, really. And that’s why you could see today a lot of people were getting called out, including myself. So honestly, it was about surviving. Even in Q3, like the first lap, you just want a ‘banker lap’, which takes out the joy a little bit, but I think we still did a good enough lap. So yeah, very happy with, of course, being on pole, but it’s a very long weekend ahead as well. We know that this is going to be a different weekend with the whole (sprint) formula, but of course very happy with today.” Looking ahead, Max predicted: “Tomorrow again, a very different day I think, but at least the car is quick, and that’s, I think, the most important. Around here the margins can be very small - we always see that - but yeah to be ahead is good for us.”

Max was, like many other drivers, dissatisfied with the way the track limits were enforced. “It is, I think, one of the worst tracks for it - with the track limits. I think today looked really silly. It almost looked like we were amateurs out there; the amount of lap times that were getting deleted. Of course people could say: “Yeah, well then you stay within the white lines”. Well, if it was that easy, you can take my car and try! But probably you won’t even get up to speed in time. But it is super tricky and I think today showed that. I think it’s still not easy to have a clear rule about it, because on most tracks it works really well, but on some tracks you might need something different. Because of course a lot of the tracks we share with MotoGP - and bike championships in general - and of course they want something else outside of the curbs than what we would like, and for us putting gravel there is fine but for a bike, it’s a bit different. So we need to think about, maybe, a different solution.” 

It is a nice warm day in Spielberg at 28 degrees. It is more overcast than during the first (and only) free practice, held earlier today. The track temperature is 46 degrees at the start of qualifying. Qualifying is off to a good start, with Max setting a time of 1:05.190, placing him at the top of the timesheets. It is, however, not long before the red flag is waved. Valtteri Bottas has spun out at the first corner and initially cannot restart his Alfa Romeo. Meanwhile, Max’s lap time was deleted because he went over the track limits. When the track is finally greenlit, Max gets to set a new time: 1.05.116. Max is not the only one whose lap times were deleted - among others, Nyck de Vries fell to the bottom of the timesheets after losing his lap. At the end of Q1 Max is the fastest, followed by teammate Sergio Pérez and Norris. It is Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu, Logan Sargeant, Kevin Magnussen and De Vries who do not make it to Q2.

Q2 begins much the same for Max: he loses his first lap time because he went over the track limits. Max lets his disappointment be heard over the team radio, calling it “ridiculous”. His new fastest time, a promising 1:04.951, lands him first place. Teammate Pérez also struggles with saying inside the track limits, and is forced to set a new time after his first is deleted. The Mexican, however, once again drives over the white line and has to try and set a new time in the remaining minutes of Q2. Although his third attempt lands him in P2, Pérez can’t avoid his lap time getting deleted one final time. Esteban Ocon and Oscar Piastri similarly lose their lap times. Together with Pérez, Bottas and George Russell do not qualify for Q3. Max sets the fastest time, followed by Sainz and Norris.

Over the course of qualifying the sky has become more overcast, and the track temperature falls. Max opens Q3 with a lap time of 1:04.503, making him the fastest. Leclerc grabs second position, followed by teammate Sainz. Lance Stroll and Alexander Albon lose their times as a result of going over the track limits and have to race to set new lap times. Meanwhile Max refines his time to 1:04.391, this time securing pole position. Leclerc and Sainz will start from second and third position respectively at the start of the Austrian Grand Prix.

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Results qualifying Austria: