Spielberg, Austria was under a massive heat wave, as the F1 circus arrived at Red Bull Ring for round 9. The circuit was expected to suit Mercedes in a superior way. However, qualifying proved to be full of surprises, which was a refreshing wind of change.
The first surprise was seen already in Q1. Against all odds, both Ferraris came out on the medium tyres. Leclerc went fastest, with teammate Sebastian third after their first runs. Mercedes' pace seemed surprisingly tame on the soft Pirellis. I thought they were sandbagging, and there was much more to come from them in the following segments. Kimi's first flyer was ruined by Hamilton, who impeded the Iceman. Kimi was in a worrying P16, with only six minutes left. The Mercedes drivers were also struggling till the end of the first session. Hamilton was only 8th and Bottas 12th, as there were less than a minute remaining! Traffic was a problem for many drivers, but Verstappen got his timing right and went fastest. Hamilton delivered on his last run, jumping second in the time sheets. Bottas, too got his lap together, making it third. Leclerc was fourth and Sebastian fifth, both having set their lap times on the medium rubber. Kimi, too managed to set a competitive lap time, and the Iceman had no difficulties to proceed into the second segment. The first driver to miss out on Q2 was Racing Point's Perez, alongside teammate Stroll. Toro Rosso's Kvyat would have made it into Q2, had he not been impeded by Williams' Russell at the very end of the first session. Like expected, both Williams drivers were out of Q2 for the 9th time this season.
There was a surprising aspect in terms of tyre strategy also in Q2. Predictably, Mercedes sent their drivers out on the yellow-marked medium rubber, which was also Verstappen's choice. Against the odds, Ferrari didn't opt for the medium Pirellis, but the Red Team sent their drivers out on the soft tyres. In spite of the heat, the softs are expected to last better than in France a week ago, and the soft compound is considered a competitive tyre choice for the race. No matter, which compound Charles had, the Red Bull Ring seemed to suit him perfectly. Not only had the young Monegasque won there both in GP3 and GP2 series, he also set the fastest lap time in the second session. Sebastian was two tenths down on him, and Verstappen in third was three tenths off the pace. Hamilton and Bottas were only fourth and fifth! Storming Leclerc even managed to improve his lap time in the end, giving a true storm warning for the Mercedes duo. Alfa Romeo's pace seemed promising as well, and both Kimi and Giovinazzi made it within the top ten. Out of the decisive segment were Haas' Grosjean, the Renault duo of Hulkenberg and Ricciardo, Toro Rosso's Albon and McLaren's Sainz. At the end of Q2 there was something worrying happening in Sebastian's pit garage. There was clearly something wrong with his Lina, as there were mechanics working all over his car...
And the problems continued, as Q3 got underway. Soon it was obvious, that there was a major issue in question, and it was something, that wasn't going to be easily fixed. Sebastian was out of the final segment! What a shame indeed! Now that Hamilton seemed to be in trouble, it would have been critically important for Sebastian to claim a grid slot as high up on the grid as possible! I didn't want to admit, that it was true, Sebastian being out of the fight for pole. Especially, as his teammate was absolutely flying! Charles took provisional pole and seemed confident not to give up on it. Bottas was second, three tenths off the super fast Ferrari ace. Verstappen was third, six tenths down on Charles. Hamilton was only fourth after his first attempt, massive seven tenths down on Charles. I was surprised how big the gaps were, as the lap at the Red Bull Ring is the shortest of all circuits on the current calendar. Leclerc didn't let Hamilton even dream about the pole; he improved his lap time on his last run. Hamilton was able to raise his pace, but wasn't able to jump higher than second on his last flyer. Verstappen made his orange-suited fans cheer by qualifying third. Bottas was left fourth, which was a disappointment for the Finn. Haas' Magnussen had a superb day, as the Dane made it fifth in the standings. Norris qualified sixth for McLaren, followed by the Alfa Romeo duo of Kimi and Giovinazzi. Red Bull's Gasly claimed modest P9, and Sebastian was cruelly left in P10 due to his technical woes.
However, there are some changes on the grid in terms of tomorrow's race. Hamilton, who qualified second, has been handed a 3-place grid penalty for impeding Kimi in Q1, which will drop the Briton down in P5. Magnussen, who had a perfect day at the wheel of his Haas by making it 5th on the grid, will drop down to P10 due to a gear box change. This means, that Verstappen will start to the race from the front row! It will be so interesting to see, what will happen at the start! I'm sure that Max is extremely hungry to challenge Charles by any means necessary. Bottas will be promoted to P3, with McLaren's Norris alongside him! The tyre strategy will also be interesting. Which proves to be the right choice for the first stint, softs or mediums? Charles has a chance of his life to get his maiden win tomorrow! I'm afraid that a podium finish is out of Sebastian's reach, but I know he'll fight like a lion, like always. Forza Ferrari!
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