Qualifying Report & Results 2025 Austrian F1 Grand Prix

Event: Austrian F1 GP
Track: Red Bull Ring

Weather: Sunny & Dry 28°C
Tarmac: Dry  45°C
Humidity: 35%
Wind: 6.8 km/h South-West
Pressure: 945 mb

Lando Norris scored his 12th F1 pole position today. The McLaren driver will start from P1 at Sunday's 2025 Austrian F1 Grand Prix for the 1st time on the Red Bull Ring. It was the third pole of the season for the Dutch driver and the 171th pole for the McLaren F1 team.

Lando Norris Stamps Authority with Sensational Pole at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix

🔥 Norris Unleashed: A Dominant Display in the Styrian Heat

If anyone doubted Lando Norris’ ability to bounce back after the Canadian collision with his teammate, they’ve been firmly silenced in Spielberg. The McLaren driver didn't just take pole for the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix — he obliterated the competition. Fastest in FP2, FP3, Q1, and Q2, Norris capped it all off with a blistering 1m 04.268s lap in Q3 that left the rest of the field gasping for air in the thin Alpine atmosphere.

Behind him, Charles Leclerc delivered a much-needed boost for Ferrari with a stellar P2, while Oscar Piastri was left wondering what could’ve been after a yellow-flagged final sector ruined his last lap, leaving him P3 on the grid.

Let’s break it all down, one Quali session at a time.

⏱️ Q1: Heat Rising, Tempers Cooling (Mostly)

Qualifying kicked off under blazing conditions, with air temps at 28°C and the track a toasty 48°C. With everyone on the softest compound (C5), the pressure was instant. The short lap at the Red Bull Ring leaves no margin for error, and that was painfully clear.

Max Verstappen set the early benchmark, but Norris crushed it moments later by over four tenths — a sign of things to come. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri’s first lap was a gravel-strewn mess after a Turn 4 off, and Franco Colapinto and Charles Leclerc also had their moments with the wind adding unpredictability.

By the chequered flag, the first five casualties were:

• 16th – Lance Stroll

• 17th – Esteban Ocon

• 18th – Yuki Tsunoda

• 19th – Carlos Sainz

• 20th – Nico Hülkenberg

Yes, you read that right — both Williams and Haas drivers out, and Yuki left scratching his helmet after his Racing Bulls teammate Liam Lawson went on to shine.

🚨 Q2: Red Flags, Rubber & Recovery Drives

The drama cranked up a notch in Q2. Lawson briefly went top, then Verstappen answered. But the moment McLaren showed their full hand, it was game over. Piastri lit up the timing screens… only for Norris to drop a lap nearly two tenths quicker. Ferrari followed closely, Leclerc third and Hamilton fourth.

Then came a surprise: a red flag — not from a crash, but a grass fire trackside. Yes, a literal grass fire. That brought a halt to the session with 5:42 on the clock and forced a tense reset for those on the bubble.

When the track resumed, with the whole grid queuing up like it was Black Friday in the pit lane, the shootout began. Bortoleto impressed, sneaking into Q3 in P8. Hadjar abandoned a final push and was eliminated, while Alonso and Bearman narrowly missed out.

Q2 Elimination List:

• 11th – Fernando Alonso

• 12th – Alex Albon

• 13th – Isack Hadjar

• 14th – Franco Colapinto

• 15th – Ollie Bearman

And so, the top 10 were set for a standoff in Q3.

🎯 Q3: Norris the Inevitable

When the lights went green for Q3, anticipation hung thick in the air. And from the very first runs, it was all about the McLaren show.

Norris struck first — purple sectors across the board. Piastri was close but not quite there, hampered by a minor error out of Turn 1. Leclerc split the two papaya cars on his initial attempt, setting up a tantalising final run.

But then... Pierre Gasly spun at the final corner in his Alpine, bringing out yellow flags and shattering the final attempts of Piastri, Verstappen, and Russell. Norris had already done the business, and no one could respond.

Piastri’s frustration was evident:

“I didn’t get to start my lap because of Gasly spinning. Lando’s been quick all weekend, but we had the pace for the front row.”

Leclerc, meanwhile, was full of praise for Ferrari’s upgrades:

“It’s been a tough season, but we brought new parts and they worked. Our race pace is usually better than qualifying, so we can fight.”

And Lando? Calm, collected, and clinical:

“A good lap, for sure. I just improved little by little. Hopefully I can keep it up tomorrow.”

Notably absent from the top spots: Max Verstappen. The home hero starts P7 — a disappointing outcome at Red Bull’s own backyard. The Dutchman was vocal on the radio, unhappy with the balance, grip, and basically everything on four wheels.

🔮 What’s Next: Race Day Forecast

It’s shaping up to be one heck of a race in Spielberg. Ferrari’s upgrades seem to be race-focused, and Leclerc will be determined to convert his front-row into a win. But with Norris in this form, it’s going to take something special to stop the Brit from taking his second victory of the season.

Piastri, meanwhile, still leads the championship and starts P3 — perfectly poised for a strategic assault.

And Verstappen? If anyone can mount a charge through the field in front of an orange sea of fans, it’s him. But he’ll need to pull something miraculous out of the helmet on Sunday.

🔥 Final Thoughts

The Red Bull Ring never fails to deliver thrills, spills, and surprises. With track limits handled by gravel traps this year, and temperatures soaring, tyre degradation and racecraft will be the deciding factors.

Buckle up, folks. If Quali was anything to go by, Sunday in Spielberg is going to be sizzling.

Lights out: 15:00 local time.
Don’t miss it. 🏎️💨

Quali Times 2025 Austrian GP

The quickest sector times driven during this qualifying session were:

1. 16.285 sec. by Lando Norris, McLaren MCL39.
2. 28.436 sec. by Lando Norris, McLaren MCL39.
3. 19.250 sec. by Lando Norris, McLaren MCL39.

The quickest lap time of last year was a 1:04,314 min also set by Max Verstappen with the Red Bull RB20.

✅ Check out our 2025 Austrian F1 Grand Prix preview.

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