Qualifying Report - Norris storms to pole, McLaren's and Ferrari's mix top two rows

Lando Norris
© McLaren

Lando Norris clinched a commanding pole position for the 2025 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix, continuing McLaren's remarkable form at the Red Bull Ring and sealing his strongest Saturday performance of the season. His lap of 1m03.971s in Q3 was not only dominant—it was the largest pole margin of the year so far, with no other driver able to come within half a second of the Briton.

Charles Leclerc delivered a crucial lap for Ferrari to split the McLarens and line up second on the grid, 0.521s adrift of Norris, while Oscar Piastri was left to rue what could have been. The championship leader was on a strong final attempt before a spin by Pierre Gasly at Turn 4 forced yellow flags and ruined the laps of both Piastri and Max Verstappen.

That late incident reshuffled the expected order. Verstappen, a four-time pole-sitter at his Red Bull's home race, could do no better than seventh, his lap undone by the caution. The Dutchman, who has been under pressure from McLaren in recent events, will now face the prospect of launching a recovery drive in Sunday's Grand Prix.

Piastri will start third, just 0.062s behind Leclerc, while Lewis Hamilton secured fourth on a weekend where Ferrari looked more comfortable than in recent rounds. George Russell was fifth for Mercedes, narrowly ahead of an impressive Liam Lawson, who placed sixth for Racing Bulls and outqualified both Red Bulls and several top-tier cars.

Gabriel Bortoleto added another highlight to his rookie season by qualifying eighth for Sauber. The Brazilian, last year's F2 winner in Styria, continued his strong record at Spielberg with his best F1 qualifying result to date. Andrea Kimi Antonelli grabbed ninth for Mercedes in his maiden Austrian GP, just ahead of Gasly, who brought out the yellow flags that compromised the final runs of the session.

The drama wasn't limited to Q3. A red flag in Q2 was triggered by a small grass fire at the final corner. Once the session resumed with five minutes to go, the midfield exploded into a flurry of flying laps. Bortoleto made the cut, but Fernando Alonso, Alex Albon, Isack Hadjar, Franco Colapinto, and Oliver Bearman were left on the wrong side of the top 10 shootout.

The stage is now set for a potentially chaotic Austrian Grand Prix, with Verstappen out of position, McLaren in command, and Ferrari showing signs of renewed life. With overtaking tricky but possible and weather potentially in play, Sunday's race promises fireworks as Norris hunts for his second win of 2025—and Piastri looks to defend his points lead from third on the grid.