Formula 1 Racing

With Perez penalised, Verstappen needs all his Spielberg speed to resist Ferrari · RaceFans

Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Red Bull Ring, 2022

In the centre of the beautiful Austrian countryside sits the fittingly picturesque Red Bull Ring. And in the centre of the Red Bull Ring sits a large sculpture of a reared-up bull, horns primed and ready to charge.

The bull is such a major feature around the stunning Spielberg circuit that it can be spotted from most vantage points around the 4.3 kilometre course – except during the 10 minutes immediately following the final chequered flag during Friday’s qualifying session for the Austrian Grand Prix.

The orange smoke from flares around the grandstand that billowed eastward in celebration of Max Verstappen taking the sprint race pole position was so thick that it covered the famous 12-metre tall sculpture in its entirety. It may have been a visual metaphor for what the world champion will do to the hopes of anyone else denying him yet another victory around the circuit where he has enjoyed more success than at any other.

Verstappen’s last-gasp effort to deny Charles Leclerc and Ferrari and take only his third pole of the 2022 season may not have been blisteringly fast – at least in the first two sectors – but his superior speed through the final corner was enough for him to secure the prime starting position for Saturday’s sprint race. Worryingly for Ferrari, Verstappen expects Red Bull’s package to be even more potent in the coming two days.

Verstappen took pole by a tiny margin

“Normally I’d say qualifying is not our strongest point,” Verstappen explained. “So I just hope to have a clean turn one, a good getaway and from there onwards anything can happen. But I feel confident with the car we have.”

Verstappen’s confidence is backed up by the pace he showed in the only practice session of the day. On the timed laps Verstappen set in the afternoon practice, he was comfortably quicker than both Ferraris of Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr every time, whether on the medium or the soft compound. And with the Ferraris both looking to get by Verstappen in the sprint race, they will not be thrilled to know that the pole sitter had a clear top speed advantage at the top of the hill before the braking zone for turn four, hitting more than 4km/h more than both Ferraris and both Mercedes on their respective fastest laps in first practice.

As ever during sprint race weekends, Ferrari say they are treating the sprint race as effectively the first 100 kilometres of a 400km grand prix. The last time a sprint race was held in Imola, Leclerc got ahead…

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