F1: Verstappen took pole and Checo Pérez started eighth in the Austrian GP :: Olé USA

The name of the circuit was to be taken as a warning: Red Bull Ring. And when Max Verstappen’s Red Bull is in the ring, there is no way for the McLarens, Ferraris and Mercedes to compete. Until this Saturday, when the sprint race and qualifying were held, it was all about the Dutch driver: F1 practice, sprint shootout, short race and qualifying, in which his pursuers could not even tickle him. In the absence of the final on Sunday, Mad Max is already the kingpin of Austria.

The Austrian GP presents a tough Sunday for Sergio Checo Pérez. The driver from Guadalajara cannot find the rhythm and was overtaken by the seven drivers from the four main teams on the grid. McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari and also Verstappen were faster than the 34-year-old driver who, one more classification, continues to generate doubts that he does not resolve in the races.

It wasn’t necessary to reach Q3 to know that the three-time champion would be the poleman at the Austrian GP. And it goes beyond its results throughout the weekend, with a triumph in the sprint a few hours earlier and its superiority in the timed sessions on Friday: the performance of the Red Bull in the qualifying was overwhelming, taking around half a second off his closest pursuer from Q1. A difference that not even the best lap of a McLaren, currently the one that competes the most, could reduce.

“No matter how well we did, Max was unattainable. When you see the pace today, you realize that we are going to have to give everything and then some to compete,” said a resigned Lando Norriswho finished four-tenths behind and, as in the sprint, will start alongside Max. Meanwhile, there will be two other teams in the back row: Mercedes, with George Russell’s third place, and Ferrari, with Carlos Sainz’s fourth place.

1. Verstappen / 1m4s314
2. Norris / +0s404
3. Russell / +0s526
4. Sainz / +0s537
5. Hamilton / +0s589
6. Leclerc / +0s730
7. Piastri / +0s734
8. Pérez / +0s888
9. Hulkenberg / +1s071
10. Ocon / +1s569
11. Ricciardo
12. Magnussen
13. Gasly
14. Tsunoda
15. Alonso
16. Albon
17. Stroll
18. Bottas
19. Sargeant
20. Zhou

The Formula 1 weekend will conclude this Sunday with the main race, which will begin at 10 in Argentina. All the action can be seen live on the screen of Fox Sports and by the platform Disney+ (former Star+).