Max Verstappen has secured pole position for the first sprint race of the year in Formula 1 in the Red Bull.
In a chaotic qualification with several interruptions, the Dutch world champion relegated world championship leader Charles Leclerc to second place in the rain on Friday evening.
The Monegasque missed a tailor-made start at Ferrari's home game after team-mate Carlos Sainz had already finished tenth after an accident.
Third was Lando Norris in the McLaren.
Sebastian Vettel finished ninth in the Aston Martin.
In contrast, both Mercedes drivers missed the top ten in record world champion Lewis Hamilton (13th) and George Russell (11th).
Mick Schumacher pushed himself between the duo in Haas.
His stable mate Kevin Magnussen made it into the second row of the grid in fourth place.
The starting grid for the Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna on Sunday will now be determined in the sprint over 100 kilometers on Saturday.
Formula 1 has significantly upgraded this format for the new season.
The winner now receives eight instead of three world championship points. This season there are points for the first eight drivers to cross the finish line.
This means that the sprints – more are planned in Spielberg and Sao Paulo – are also gaining in importance for the title fight.
Before the fourth race of the season on Sunday (3 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for Formula 1, on RTL and Sky), Leclerc is clearly leading the drivers' championship with 71 points.
Verstappen, who has one win and two failures, is sixth and 46 points behind.