Norris Secures Austrian GP Pole Ending Verstappen Streak

Lando Norris secured a commanding pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix, ending Max Verstappen's recent dominance at the Red Bull Ring with the biggest pole margin of the season so far. Norris's final lap time was half a second faster than Charles Leclerc, who qualified second, while Verstappen struggled with an 'undriveable' car and was hampered by a yellow flag, resulting in a seventh-place start. The qualifying session featured notable eliminations including Carlos Sainz, who failed to progress beyond Q1 for the third consecutive time, and Yuki Tsunoda, who exited early in front of the home crowd. George Russell managed to avoid an early exit to qualify 11th, while rookie Gabriel Bortoleto impressed by reaching Q3 for the first time in his career. The session was briefly delayed due to a dramatic Formula 2 crash but resumed with Norris consistently showing superior pace throughout. Verstappen's frustrations included a clash with Lewis Hamilton and criticism of his car's handling, further adding to his challenging day.