Title: Max Verstappen Secures Pole Position for Austrian Grand Prix Sprint Test, Sergio Perez to Start Second
Subtitle: Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso Set to Begin from Fifth and Seventh respectively
The Mexican is 69 points behind the 195 with which the Dutchman leads in the championship.
The outstanding leader of the Formula One World Championship, Max Verstappen of Red Bull, will start in pole position for the sprint test of the Austrian Grand Prix this Saturday. Held at the Red Bull Ring in Styria, Verstappen will share the front row with his teammate, Mexican driver Sergio Perez. Meanwhile, Spanish drivers Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) will start from fifth and seventh place respectively.
Having claimed pole position for the upcoming Sunday’s race on Friday, Verstappen maintained his dominance by winning the reduced qualifying session known as the “sprint shoot-out.” The sprint test is the second of six races this season held in the sprint format. Verstappen’s performance has put him in a favorable position for the short test, which consists of 24 laps, roughly one-third of Sunday’s race.
Verstappen’s closest competitor, Sergio Perez, will start alongside him on the front row. Perez is currently second in the championship, trailing Verstappen by 69 points. Verstappen set the best time in the final round of qualifying, completing the 4.318 km circuit in one minute, four seconds, and 440 milliseconds. This was 493 milliseconds faster than Perez.
Lando Norris of McLaren and Nico Hülkenberg of Haas will start from the second row, while Carlos Sainz, currently third in the championship standings, will begin from third place alongside his Ferrari teammate, Charles Leclerc. Furthermore, two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will start from seventh place.
Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, and his former teammate Valtteri Bottas struggled during the sprint shoot-out and failed to make it past the first round.
Apart from the leading drivers, there were some challenges faced by Carlos Sainz. Smoke was observed coming out of his car, likely from the brakes. However, Sainz managed to set the best time of the round, narrowly ahead of Verstappen.
In the final round, Verstappen continued his dominance, leaving no room for his competitors. Despite a challenging performance on Friday, Perez will still have a chance to redeem himself in Sunday’s race from 15th place on the starting grid.
The sprint test awards points to the top eight finishers, with the winner earning eight points, the second-place finisher earning seven points, and so on. Carlos Sainz, competitive as ever, will be aiming to add to his tally in the sprint race.
The long race, scheduled for 71 laps, will cover 306.5 kilometers. Alonso, who recently celebrated his 42nd birthday, will be seeking to earn more points in the sprint test. His remarkable comeback in Formula One has placed him in contention, and he will undoubtedly look to capitalize on the opportunity to score valuable points.
With Max Verstappen leading the championship by a significant margin, the battle between him and his rivals is destined to intensify as the season progresses. The Austrian Grand Prix promises to deliver thrilling moments and fierce on-track action.
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