FIVE things you may have missed from Austrian GP Qualifying

Austrian Grand Prix

F1 champion's unwanted record as Jos Verstappen REPLACED - FIVE things you may have missed from Austrian GP Qualifying

Max Verstappen finished ahead of Lando Norris and George Russell

Kevin McKenna

Sunday 30 June 2024 10:57

Max Verstappen will go into Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix in pole position after dominating Saturday's qualifying session.

The Dutchman finished ahead of Lando Norris and George Russell, who was bumped up the order after Oscar Piastri's final lap time was deleted.

F1 HEADLINES: Horner blasted in bitter feud as FIA declare last minute CHANGE for Austrian GP

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Russell's Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton could only go fifth fastest, behind Ferrari rival Carlos Sainz in what was a largely uneventful session,

Luckily, GPFans kept an eye out for some things which may have gone under the radar.

Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner have been embroiled in an ongoing spat

Legend steps in for Verstappen in nick of time

The ongoing feud between Jos Verstappen and Red Bull boss Christian Horner took another twist this weekend.

Verstappen - father of reigning champion Max - was scheduled to take part in Sunday's Legends Parade, an annual event in which legendary drivers and cars take to the iconic circuit.

However, the Dutchman pulled out earlier this week, blaming Horner for making a conscious effort to block his participation.

It was the latest in a long list of accusations made by the 52-year-old against the Red Bull team principal so far this season.

Fortunately, a replacement for Verstappen Sr was found at the last minute, with Patrick Friesacher stepping in.

The ex-Minardi driver took part in a practice event for the legends after Saturday's qualifying session, driving the Red Bull RB8 which delivered Sebastian Vettel's third title with the team.

Verstappen adds to record collection

Max Verstappen went fastest once again at the Red Bull Ring

Max Verstappen has become quite accustomed to setting records in F1, and the three-time champion added another to his collection on Saturday.

The 26-year-old had already secured a victory in the sprint race earlier in the day, before backing it up with a near-perfect display in qualifying for the main event.

Verstappen's result makes the Spielberg circuit the first venue at which he has achieved five pole positions. Little wonder it is such a favourite of his.

Few would bet against a few more tracks being added to that list in the years to come.

Gap between the grid closing?

There doesn't appear to be much separating the teams going into Sunday's race

Verstappen may be in a league of his own, but a quick look at the time sheets suggested there wasn't much between the rest of the grid.

In the first session, just 0.798s separated P20-P1, making it the closest Q1 in the sport's history.

Of course, that will be of little consolation at the moment to Zhou Guanyu, who will start the race at the rear of the grid.

However, the data goes to show that the margins between success and failure are smaller than ever, highlighting that, on any given day, anything can happen.

One to forget for Alonso

Fernando Alonso failed to make it out of Q2 in Spielberg

It was another bleak afternoon for Aston Martin star Fernando Alonso.

In fairness, the former world champion predicted it would be the case after a disappointing performance in Barcelona, but even he would have been left deflated after another bad day at the office.

By qualifying 15th, Alonso set a new - unwanted - record. The 42-year-old now stands alone as the driver with the most Q2 exits in F1 2024 with six.

At least his compatriot Sainz can smile. After all, his five Q2 exits no longer look quite so bad.

Vasseur feeling the heat

Frederic Vasseur evidently spent too long in the sun on Saturday

Since Charles Leclerc's iconic win in Monaco, Ferrari have found themselves lagging behind McLaren.

Both cars were forced to retire in testing conditions at the Canadian Grand Prix, and were underwhelming in Barcelona last weekend.

Sainz and Leclerc will start P4 and P6 respectively at the Red Bull Ring, but face a fight with Mercedes to get on the podium.

As if team boss Fred Vasseur didn't have enough to worry about, it would appear the Frenchman spent a little too long in the glorious Austrian sunshine on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking post-session, the 56-year-old's head blended in nicely with his bright red Ferrari t-shirt. Hopefully he remembers his sunscreen on Sunday...