By Camille Lebez Leroy
Q1
As soon as the lights went green, Alex Albon wasted no time, leading the charge onto the track with the two Aston Martin drivers close behind. Within the first thirty seconds, half the grid had already joined the session, all opting for the softest compound available: the C5 tyres.
Sensational Swap of Verstappen and Russell
With such a short circuit layout, traffic was bound to become a concern early on, and the high track activity didn’t help matters. Conditions were also intense, with track temperatures soaring to 48°C and ambient air settling at a sweltering 28°C, pushing drivers and machinery to the limit.
About twelve minutes before the end of the session, Nico Hülkenberg briefly stole the spotlight. Benefiting from Stake’s latest upgrades, he jumped to the top of the timing screens, narrowly edging out Esteban Ocon by just 0.064 seconds. His reign at the top was short-lived, however, as Max Verstappen, despite a visibly scrappy lap due to by rear instability, managed to post the fastest time.
In the final minutes, as the track rubbered in, nearly every driver found improvements. Yet despite the surge in pace, Carlos Sainz couldn’t escape the drop zone, marking his third consecutive Q1 elimination, a worrying trend for the Williams driver.
Out in Q1
P16: Lance Stroll
P17: Esteban Ocon
P18: Yuki Tsunoda
P19: Carlos Sainz
P20: Nico Hulkenberg
Q2
Once again, Alex Albon was quick to get things rolling in Q2, heading out early, just behind the two Ferrari drivers. The Scuderia brought a new floor upgrade to the weekend, and it seemed to be working, Charles Leclerc set the initial benchmark, clocking in 0.309s ahead of his teammate.
It was a mixed bag in terms of tyre strategy. Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar opted for fresh rubber. Lawson quickly displaced Leclerc at the top, while Hadjar couldn’t quite match his teammate.
With eight minutes left, Oscar Piastri lit up the timing sheets, going a full six-tenths clear of Verstappen. His teammate Lando Norris then bettered that by a tenth and a half, underlining McLaren’s strong advantage.
The session stopped when a small fire trackside brought out the red flag. All cars returned to the pits, with Albon, Bearman, Colapinto, Alonso, and Bortoleto sitting in the drop zone.
When the session resumed, teams played their cards carefully. Most waited to go out for just one final run. Some gambled on used tyres, while others, seeking certainty, bolted on new sets.
Then came a surprise, Gabriel Bortoleto delivered a stunning lap that momentarily put him up to third. Verstappen later reclaimed that position, but Bortoleto’s time held up. In the closing moments, almost every driver improved, with the entire midfield tightly packed. In fact, less than three-tenths separated the final Q3 qualifier from elimination, once again proving how competitive things are in the midfield.
For Bortoleto, it was a landmark moment, he secured a place in Q3 for the first time in his Formula 1 career.
Out in Q2
P11: Fernando Alonso
P12: Alex Albon
P13: Isack Hadjar
P14: Franco Colapinto
P15: Ollie Bearman
Q3
The green light was on for Q3, but no one rushed out right away, teams were carefully eyeing each other in the pit lane. McLaren and Ferrari had two fresh sets of softs remaining, while Verstappen, both Mercedes, and Bortoleto had only one. Lawson and Gasly had already used four sets, limiting their options.
When cars finally emerged, drama struck immediately, Russell was released unsafely into the path of both Ferraris, forcing them to brake sharply. The incident was noted by the stewards.
On track, Norris delivered an outstanding first lap, going purple in the first two sectors and setting a 1:04.268. Leclerc, on fresh tyres, slotted into second, just over two tenths behind. Piastri, after a small mistake in Turn 1, was third. Hamilton and Russell followed, both ahead of Verstappen, who had run on used tyres.
With just two minutes left, it came down to a final run. Verstappen went early but could only manage seventh and aborted the lap. Lawson, on a single attempt, beat him. Yellow flags from Gasly forced Piastri to lift off, ruining any chance of improvement.
In the end, it was all about Lando Norris. Fastest in every session, he sealed pole by over half a second, an emphatic statement at Red Bull’s home track, and a perfect response after the disappointment in Canada.
Pole: Lando Norris
P2: Charles Leclerc
P3: Oscar Piastri
P4: Lewis Hamilton
P5: Georges Russel
P6: Liam Lawson
P7: Max Verstappen
P8: Gabriel Bortoleto
P9: Kimi Antonelli
P10: Pierre Gasly
WHEEL2WHEEL REPORTS 