Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position for Formula 1’s first Styrian Grand Prix ahead of Max Verstappen in a wet and wild qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring. Carlos Sainz grabbed third place for McLaren, with Austrian Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas finishing fourth.
Sebastian Vettel rounded out the Q3 runners in another disappointing qualifying showing for Scuderia Ferrari.
For the second Saturday in a row Ferrari lost a car in Q2, this time it was Charles Leclerc at the Styrian Grand Prix. It looked like it was going to be a washout at the Red Bull Ring for qualifying for Round Two of the 2020 season.
But the session got underway, and the struggling Scuderia would have hoped that the wet weather would allow for Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel to make up for some of the performance lacking in the SF1000, instead using their skills in the lottery that is wet-weather racing.
But it didn’t turn out that way with Charles getting eliminated in P11, whilst Seb only just squeezed through into the top 10 shootout for pole. In search of time, Leclerc told Ferrari he wanted to stay out on his used full wet tyres, but when the rain started to fall heavy again that decision started to look like the wrong one.
And that turned out to be the case with Charles losing too much time on his late flying laps, finishing P11 and missing the cut by less than a tenth of a second.
It marks the second time Ferrari have lost a driver in Q2 in as many races this season.
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:19.273
Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing +1.216
Carlos Sainz McLaren +1.398
Valtteri Bottas Mercedes +1.428
Esteban Ocon Renault +1.649
Lando Norris McLaren +1.652
Alex Albon Red Bull Racing +1.738
Pierre Gasly Alpha Tauri +1.755
Daniel Ricciardo Renault +1.919
Sebastian Vettel Ferrari +2.378
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