F1 Austrian Grand Prix LIVE: George Russell claims stunning win after Lando Norris and Max Verstappen crash
Follow live updates from the Red Bull Ring as Verstappen starts on pole position at Red Bull’s home race
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Max Verstappen followed up his sprint victory by securing pole position for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.
On Red Bull’s home turf in Spielberg, and cheered on by 40,000 travelling Dutch fans, Verstappen blew away his rivals to take top spot.
The world champion produced a scintillating lap of the shortest track on the Formula One calendar to finish 0.404 seconds clear of McLaren’s Lando Norris, with George Russell third for Mercedes. Carlos Sainz finished fourth with Lewis Hamilton fifth.
“It is a great feeling and the team has worked hard to make the car competitive,” said Verstappen after landing his fourth straight pole at the Red Bull Ring. “This is a great statement and hopefully we can show that again tomorrow in the race.”
Follow live updates from the Austrian Grand Prix with The Independent
Norris makes it move but goes off track! (Lap 59/71)
Not this time!
Norris dives down the inside at turn 3 but can’t stay on track! He takes the lead but immediately gives the place back to Verstappen!
Yet he went off the track, and that could be a five-second penalty for track limits! Stewards have noted it...
Norris close but not close enough! (Lap 58/71)
Norris is tempted again at turn 3 - but decides against it!
Verstappen moaning about his grip with these tyres at the moment but, for now, he still has the lead!
And Norris now has a black-and-white flag for track limits! That’s trouble...
Lando Norris makes a move on Verstappen (Lap 55/71)
“He reacted to my move, he’s not allowed to do that!”
Norris not happy with Verstappen moving under braking at turn 3!
So close for Norris now!
Lando Norrris now just 1.2 seconds behind Max Verstappen (Lap 54/71)
He’s really pushing now is the McLaren driver - he’s got a second strike for track limits but now has DRS going up to turn 3!
It’s on here for the Brit!
Max Verstappen pits (lap 52/71)
The race leader comes in for his second pit-stop after moaning for a few laps about the state of the tyres - and Red Bull’s pit-stop is slow, 6.9 seconds!
Norris’ is only 2.9 seconds - and now the gap is less than three seconds between the leaders!
Wow! Do we have a race on now?!
George Russell pits (Lap 47/71)
Russell the first of the frontrunners to pit onto new hards - and drops to fifth.
And Oscar Piastri overtakes Lewis Hamilton down the inside of turn 3 for what is now third place!
Lando Norris cutting the gap to Max Verstappen (Lap 45/71)
Norris has cut the gap to 6.4 seconds - will Verstappen pit shortly?
3-10: Russell, Sainz, Hamilton, Piastri, Perez, Hulkenberg, Magnussen, Ricciardo
Meanwhile, Alex Albon in 14th receives a five-second penalty for, like Hamilton earlier, crossing the white line on pit-entry... cheap...
Max Verstappen: (Lap 40/71)
“I don’t know what’s happening, tyres are suddenly really bad.”
That being said, the stopwatch doesn’t show any slow pace! His gap to Norris still at eight seconds.
No further investigation on Verstappen-Norris incident in pit-lane (Lap 36/71)
The only element which put into doubt Verstappen’s race has been squashed - stewards dismiss that near-miss.
His gap to Norris is now 8.2 seconds, with Russell a further six seconds back.
Charles Leclerc pits for a third time (Lap 35/71)
A few laps after being told he was on for the points, 18th-placed Leclerc pits for the third time to switch back to mediums!
Jeez...
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