Verstappen demonstrated his superiority in qualifying at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri acknowledged that Verstappen’s exceptional performance in a single lap at the Austrian Grand Prix serves as a reality check for the rest of the competition. Verstappen’s impressive time in Q3 gave him a significant advantage of five tenths over McLaren’s Lando Norris, who finished in second place. Red Bull’s dominance in qualifying was unexpected, as they had not secured pole position in the last three races. Even in the Sprint Qualifying, Norris was only 0.093s behind Verstappen, indicating a potential challenge to his pace. However, Piastri admitted that Verstappen’s difference highlights Red Bull’s ongoing superiority. Piastri stated, “His lap in Q2 was a bit of a reality check for everyone. And he could repeat that in Q3. The difference seemed to be a bit bigger in that session for whatever reason, and clearly they are still the force to be reckoned with. Max seemed to be one step ahead of everyone then. But it seems very balanced between us, Mercedes, and Ferrari, I would say.” Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton was impressed with Red Bull’s exceptional performance in high-speed corners compared to his Mercedes. Hamilton finished in sixth place and noted that Red Bull was 12-13 km/h faster in high-speed sections, which he found surprising. Despite their difficulties, McLaren team boss Andrea Stella praised Verstappen’s consistent performance and acknowledged his ability to consistently deliver solid results. Stella stated, “Everyone is within a small time difference per lap, and depending on the conditions, the layout of the track, one has a slight advantage over the other three. Certainly, there is something that is quite consistent: it’s just Max Verstappen. He always does a good job.”
