Formula 1: Verstappen bags 3rd straight pole
Verstappen leads Hamilton 5-2 in poles this season and the pressure is on Hamilton heading into Sunday’s race. He trails Verstappen by 18 points and 4-3 for wins.
Spielberg: Relentless Max Verstappen clinched his third straight pole position with a commanding drive for Red Bull at the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday, while title rival Lewis Hamilton could only manage fourth place for flagging Mercedes.
Hamilton was under pressure in his final lap and went too wide on the last two turns. On the day he announced a two-year contract extension, the seven-time F1 champion was even upstaged by 21-year-old countryman Lando Norris, who qualified second for McLaren ahead of Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez.
Norris almost caught Verstappen, too, placing just .05 seconds behind him.
Verstappen leads Hamilton 5-2 in poles this season and the pressure is on Hamilton heading into Sunday’s race. He trails Verstappen by 18 points and 4-3 for wins.
A bad day for Mercedes saw Valtteri Bottas qualifying in fifth. Cool and overcast conditions had been forecast for the final practice and qualifying, which would have favored Mercedes, but both sessions were held in warm weather with sporadic bursts of sunshine splashing the Red Bull ring.
One grandstand was packed with orange-shirted Dutch fans cheering on Verstappen every time he drove past. Others sat on grass banks dotted around the 4.3-kilometer (2.7-mile) circuit nestled in the Styrian mountains.
In the first section of qualifying, known as Q1, Verstappen showed his intent.
He topped the charts with Hamilton .26 seconds adrift and only fourth fastest behind two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso (Alpine) and Norris.
Also read: Hamilton to stay with Mercedes until at least 2023 season
Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.
Click to follow Telangana Today Facebook page and Twitter .
