Fernando Alonso finished the qualifying session for the Styrian Grand Prix ninth and will face the race in Austria from that position. From the first, Max Verstappen will do it, who has achieved his third pole of the season. Following him will Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris . Despite the fact that Valterri Bottas finished second in the classification, he had a penalty for which he will start sixth behind Sergio Pérez . Pierre Gasly , Charles Leclerc and Tsunoda will start in front of Fernando Alonso, while Lance Stroll will do it from behind. Carlos Sainz , for his part, will face the Styrian Grand Prix from twelfth position.
Minute by minute of the F1 classification of the Styrian GP
16:01 – Third pole of the season for Verstappen, Alonso ninth
Verstappen will start first ahead of Hamilton and Norris . Although Bottas finished second in the qualifying session for the Styrian Grand Prix, he had a session in which he will start sixth. Fernando Alonso , for his part, will do it ninth,
15:57 – Alonso falls to last position
Stroll completes a lap with a set of new tires and Fernando Alonso falls to tenth position. Three minutes to go.
15:55 – Alonso is ninth
Except for Stroll , all the drivers have completed their lap. Verstappen is first ahead of Hamilton , Norris , Bottas and Sergio Pérez . Five minutes to go.
15:54 – Verstappen pulverizes Hamilton’s time, Alonso fifth
Great time from Verstappen , who would have pole right now. It would be his third of the season.
15:51 – Hamilton rolls solo
Lewis Hamilton completes two laps alone on the track while the rest remain in the garage waiting for track conditions to improve.
15:48 – Q3 begins
Fernando Alonso , forced to do magic to start in good position in the Grand Prix of Styria. Who will take the pole?
15:42 – Q2 ends
Russell , Vettel , Carlos Sainz , Ricciardo and Giovinazzi , eliminated in Q2. Carlos Sainz will leave twelfth. Sergio Pérez finished first and Fernando Alonso seventh.
15:41 – Carlos Sainz, eliminated
Fernando Alonso gets sixth but Carlos Sainz is eliminated.
15:38 – Elimination zone
Two minutes to go, they would be eliminated: Leclerc , Vettel , Russell , Ricciardo and Giovinazzi .
15:35 – Gasly is the fastest
Fly the AlphaTauri in Austria. Alonso is right now ninth and Carlos Sainz tenth. They would narrowly enter Q3. Five minutes to go.
15:34: Fernando Alonso improves Carlos Sainz
Fernando Alonso is seventh ahead of Bottas and Carlos Sainz .
15:33 – Carlos Sainz gets sixth
Carlos Sainz , better than Leclerc .
15:30 – Verstappen, faster than Hamilton
Verstappen , Sergio Pérez , Bottas , Russell and Hamilton are the fastest. Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz have not yet completed a lap.
15:25 – Q2 begins
Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso , seeing that their teammate has been eliminated in Q1, could suffer in this session.
15:20 – Q1 ends
Latifi , Esteban Ocon (Fernando Alonso’s partner), Raikkonen , Mick Schumacher and Mazepin , eliminated. Best time for Verstappen . Carlos Sainz eighth and Fernando Alonso eleventh.
15:19 – Carlos Sainz places sixth and Fernando Alonso eighth
The Spanish drivers progress and get into Q2.
15:17 – Carlos Sainz does not trust
Carlos Sainz is twelfth and has put on new soft tires to ensure his move to Q2. Leclerc , his partner, is fifth. The first four stay in the garage with 2 minutes remaining.
15:14 – The eliminated five
With 5 minutes remaining, they would be eliminated: Giovinazzi , Russell , Raikkonen , Mick Schumacher and Mazepin .
15:13 – Fernando Alonso takes eighth
Alonso , eighth on his first attempt. Better than Ocon , who is fourteenth and Carlos Sainz , who is twelfth.
15:10 – Fernando Alonso, last to hit the track.
Right now the top five are Verstappen , Bottas , Norris , Leclerc and Gasly . Carlos Sainz has dropped to ninth position.
15:08: Carlos Sainz places seventh
Carlos Sainz , behind Leclerc for now. Alonso has not yet come out. The best time is for Verstappen .
15:05 – Favorites to drop eliminated
Mazepin , Mick Schumacher , Latifi , Russell , Raikkonen and Giovinazzi all have a chance of falling in Q1.
15:00 – Qualifying session begins
So far two poles have been for Verstappen , two for Hamilton , two for Leclerc and one for Bottas . Who will win the eighth of the season?
14:56 – Rain is expected in the race
Although the chances of rain during the qualifying session are 40 percent ; on Sunday, during the race, they will be 80 .
14:50 – Alpine will test things in Austria
“This circuit is quite good, it is short if the classification will be quite compressed, it will be a weekend in which everything has to be done perfectly to score points. We will have two weekends here, there are changes that you have to prepare and we can test things , about the second weekend. After a day or two in winter testing, there are some things you can experience, ”added Fernando Alonso at the press conference prior to the Styrian Grand Prix.
14:44 – The optimism of Fernando Alonso
Fernando Alonso is not only optimistic for the Styrian Grand Prix, he is also optimistic for the next races, and he indicated this at a press conference. “ I have not yet reached perfection, but we are progressing . The team and I are giving everything during the weekend, not only have we had good practices but all weekend and some good points in the last races and we want to continue like this. Every weekend we have learned more about the tires, about the car, I do think there is a lot to come ”.
14:37 – It can rain in the qualifying session
Although rain was expected in Austria yesterday and it did not arrive, heading into the qualifying session there is a 40 percent chance of rain.
14:31 – Bottas has been sanctioned
Valtteri Bottas has been suspended three positions for dangerous driving in the pits. The Mercedes driver came out too fast and ended up spinning in the pit-lane.
14:26 – Carlos Sainz knows that he will have to suffer
Carlos Sainz alluded to the tire problems that Ferrari accused in France at the press conference prior to the Styrian Grand Prix. “ Only three days have passed and logically the problem is there , but it is interesting to see how a very large company like this one gets to work thoroughly to analyze and try to alleviate the problem. I have been involved these three days in various meetings and discussions in Maranello and a medium and long-term investigation has been started to fix it, ”said the Madrilenian. ” It is not something that is fixed in three days , so we are exposed to it being repeated and we work hard to mitigate it,” added Carlos Sainz.
14:19 – AlphaTauri, an unexpected rival for Alonso and Carlos Sainz
To the dominance of Mercedes and Red Bull we must add that of AlphaTauri . The one in Austria is a track favorable to Honda engines, which could make it difficult for both Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz to enter Q3.
14:10 – Carlos Sainz, out of the points
Carlos Sainz has not been in the Top-10 in any of the three Free Practice sessions that have been held in Styria. Still, Leclerc’s seventh place in the last session invites the Madrilenian to be optimistic about sneaking into Q3 in the qualifying session.
14:00 – Results of Free Practice 3
Unlike FP1 and FP2, FP3 was not dominated by Verstappen but by Hamilton . Once again it has become clear that Mercedes , Red Bull and also AlphaTauri , on this circuit, are a step above the rest.
Our title runners @LewisHamilton and @Max33Verstappen take the top two spots in FP3!
Not long till qualifying will be here…. 👀#StyrianGP 🇦🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/VSXk1x30FD
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 26, 2021
Qualifying session preview for the Styrian Grand Prix
Alpine faces the qualifying session of the 2021 Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix with optimism. And the fact is that, to the good work of Fernando Alonso we must add the good results that Esteban Ocon has achieved in the Free Practice. Everything seems to indicate that both will have no problems reaching Q3 and that they will be able to score points tomorrow. This is something that the Ferrari drivers will have more difficult. The Italian team has not been able to solve the problems it is having with its tires and Carlos Sainz and Leclerc will have to sweat to sneak into Q3 and to score points at the Styrian Grand Prix .
The one who will need to sweat the least to get pole in the qualifying session of the Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix is Max Verstappen. The Dutchman dominated the first two free practice sessions and, seeing the results reaped by AlphaTauri, the Red Bull Ring is a circuit that is very favorable to Honda engines. However, Lewis Hamilton set the best time in recent practice. And it is that the British, 12 points behind Verstappen , does not want to lose rope in the fight for the World Cup.
When it comes to the fight for the Constructors’ World Cup, McLaren leads Ferrari by 16 points in the fight for third place. However, the Styrian Grand Prix is not favorable for either team. It will therefore be necessary to see which team benefits the most from the qualifying session.
Where to watch the 2021 Styrian GP qualifying session on TV?
The qualifying session of the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix can be seen on television through DAZN and on the DAZN F1 channel that has enabled the platform in Movistar so that customers who are not subscribed to it can continue enjoying the races. In addition, the qualifying session of the 2021 Formula 1 Styrian Grand Prix can be followed with live commentary via the OKDIARIO website.
