Starting Grid Classification and Times
Lewis Hamilton Renewed by Mercedes until 2023
2021 World Cup Verstappen, provisional leader
The indignation of
Fernando Alonso
, on his way to the Alpine garage in the company of his faithful
Edoardo Bendinelli
, filtered through the visor of the helmet. The Asturian had been eliminated in Q2 due to a tremendous error by
Sebastian Vettel
, which impeded his passage in the last corner of the Red Bull Ring, scene of the third consecutive pole of
Max Verstappen
(1: 03.720), again faster than
Lewis Hamilton
. Only
Lando Norris
, 48 thousandths on the medium tire on his McLaren, bothered the World Championship leader.
The Q2 checkered flag had fallen when Alonso flew aboard the Alpine, steadily toward improvement. Suddenly, without warning, he came face-to-face with Vettel's Aston Martin, which had obviously slowed down. And that minutes before the start of the session, the race director,
Michael Masi
, had explicitly prohibited this type of maneuvering in the last two corners, given the dangers involved.
Immediately, the stewards opened an investigation against the German driver, who finished eighth in Q3, awaiting a more than possible sanction of several places on the starting grid.
The four-time world champion, Spanish's greatest rival between 2010 and 2014, already apologized from the car, while Alonso furiously hit the steering wheel and channeled his frustration through the radio.
Verstappen's demand
The other major victim on Saturday was Mercedes, who could never disturb Verstappen and was also surprised by Norris and
Sergio Pérez
, once again effective in the role that Red Bull has awarded him. In spite of everything, the level of demand of
Mad Max
was in evidence before the microphones: "Our Q3 was quite bad," explained the Dutchman, after not being able to lower the time in his last attempt.
There is also no reason for satisfaction at Ferrari, unable to put
Carlos Sainz
and
Charles Leclerc
into the top-10. The bet on the medium tire, thinking about the advantages it would give him in Sunday's strategy, did not work out for
Mattia Binotto
. As if that weren't enough, both of his drivers were passed by
George Russell
, with the same compound and at the wheel of a Williams.
Those six thousandths that separated Sainz from the British should not hide the self-criticism at the
Scuderia
, light years away from the performance of Norris's McLaren, which rubbed shoulders with Red Bull with the same yellow rubber.
The comeback options against the Alpha Tauri and Aston Martin, who will ride the soft starters, go through good tire management.
"A race to forget"
At the moment, Alonso does not seem to want to know anything about what will happen on Sunday. "The car was fantastic today, so it is very frustrating," said the Spaniard. "The weekend is over for us. From fifth to 14th is to add 10 or 12 points to zero. We had made the tire selection very based on Saturday, so it will be a race to be forgotten by fault of a curve ", added before the cameras of DAZN F1.
Of course, Fernando had shown his cards since Q1, with a 1: 04.472 with which he was 58 hundredths ahead of
Esteban Ocon
, his garage companion.
The second consecutive clumsiness of the French, who last Sunday did not surpass the seventeenth position either.
Daniel Ricciardo
, who was deleted last half, could only be saved by a bite against
Kimi Raikkonen
.
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Know more
sports
Formula 1
Max verstappen
Lewis hamilton
Red bull racing
Carlos Sainz Jr
Fernando Alonso
Formula 1 Verstappen submits Mercedes with an authoritarian pole position and Alonso has fun at the Red Bull Ring
Formula 1 Verstappen dominates Mercedes at will and Sainz completes a great comeback at the Red Bull Ring
F1A step forward for Alonso: Alpine starts briskly at Paul Ricard
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