Formula 1

Austrian GP: Verstappen P1, disaster for Mercedes in Sprint Shootout

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Max Verstappen led a Red Bull one-two as Mercedes endured a torrid Sprint Shootout at the Austrian Grand Prix.

The reigning champion continues to be in a class of his own, beating teammate Sergio Perez by almost half a second with Lando Norris continuing to impress in third for McLaren.

SQ1

Morning rain led to tricky conditions in SQ1 as drivers had to stay on a dry line created by the junior formulas before the session.

AutGP SS

Some opted to run intermediates for an exploratory lap but quickly everyone switched to slicks.

A few damp areas meant lap times were several seconds off the normal dry pace, resulting in huge track evolution across the 12-minute segment.

Carlos Sainz had brake problems early on but Ferrari was able to fix the issue and the Spaniard went fastest with his only flying lap.

In contrast, teammate Charles Leclerc escaped elimination by just 0.001s in 15th.

The big surprise was Lewis Hamilton, who was demoted to 18th after having his fastest time deleted for exceeding track limits.

Joining him was Zhou Guanyu in 16th, ahead of Oscar Piastri in 17th. Valtteri Bottas made it two Alfa Romeos in the bottom five in P19.

Logan Sargeant was slowest after also having his best time deleted for track limits.

SQ2

Mercedes' Saturday got worse in SQ2 as George Russell was unable to set a lap time due to a hydraulics issue on his W14.

Leclerc was under pressure again late on but produced a stellar final lap to make the top 10.

Nico Hulkenberg had a bizarre moment in the pit lane after running over a wheel as he exited the box.

In the elimination zone, Alex Albon missed out in 11th, with Pierre Gasly a frustrating 12th after a late melee in the final two corners.

Yuki Tsunoda was caught out by track limits in 13th, ahead of AlphaTauri teammate Nyck De Vries in 14th.

SQ3

Verstappen set the pace after the first runs, leading Lando Norris by four-tenths in second.

The Dutchman improved again on his second lap, posting a 1m04.440s to secure P1 on the grid for the Sprint.

Sergio Perez jumped Norris to make it a Red Bull one-two, but the McLaren driver was still more than happy with third.

Norris SS AutGP

Nico Hulkenberg made the medium compound work to take fourth for Haas, ahead of the two Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc.

Fernando Alonso pipped Aston Martin teammate Lance Stroll in seventh and eighth.

Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen completed the top 10.

Full results from the Sprint Shootout can be seen below:

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