Hello and welcome to this Total Motorsport live blog for Qualifying at the F1 2025 Austrian GP from Spielberg, as the fight for Formula 1 pole position heads to the dramatic backdrop of the Styrian hills.
McLaren have asserted themselves as the benchmark so far this weekend, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri topping both FP2 and FP3. After George Russell set the initial pace for Mercedes in FP1, all eyes are now on whether Max Verstappen and Red Bull can respond with a home-soil pole challenge, as the championship fight intensifies ahead of the summer break.
Total-Motorsport.com’s F1 2025 Austrian GP live updates for Qualifying will keep you updated with every headline, sector time, and technical twist. Stay tuned for expert insight and up-to-the-minute coverage direct from the Red Bull Ring.
F1 2025 Austrian GP Qualifying LIVE: Latest Updates
RESULTS: Find out how they finished in Styria
Lando Norris was once again quickest in Spielberg to put his McLaren top of the Austrian GP 2025 qualifying results, just ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari, with Oscar Piastri in the sister McLaren third fastest in the session.
The McLaren driver, who missed FP1 but topped every session since, was in a league of his own during Qualifying and stormed to P1 by a margin not seen so far this season.
His benchmark time of 1m03.971s proved untouchable even as a late yellow flag interrupted the closing minutes of Q3. So where did everyone else line up?
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REPORT: Lando Norris snatches pole in Austria
Lando Norris claimed a sensational pole position for the 2025 Austrian GP, continuing his dominant form in Spielberg and sending a warning to his title rivals.
The McLaren driver, who had sat out Free Practice 1 but topped every session since, delivered a stunning lap of 1:03.971 to secure the top spot with the biggest margin seen all season.
Read about how he did it below:
Norris finds much-needed qualifying breakthrough
Lando Norris could get his championship charge back on track after the disappointment of Canada as he delivers an excellent qualifying performance to seize control of Sunday’s 71-lap-long race.
It was his most commanding effort of the season on a Saturday and could give him the momentum he desperately needs as he looks to hunt down Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ standings.
So how does he feel?
“It was a good lap, that’s for sure,” Norris said to F1TV. “My Q3 run one was good but I knew there were a few places where, if I just got it right, I could still get quite a bit more time and I did exactly that.
“I did what I planned to do and when I plan to do something and it goes right, it normally goes very, very well. So very happy. A good day and it has been a good weekend for me so far, so hopefully we can keep it up.
“It’s a long season and I still savour this moment, especially as some of my tougher moments have been in qualy.
“So to put in the lap like today, to put in the performance like I had, was pleasing for myself. I’m excited. I want to prove to to myself over and over again and hopefully this is the beginning of it.”
Leclerc takes unexpected front-row start
Could Charles Leclerc fight for the win at the 2025 Austrian GP? Perhaps that’s too tall an order, but the Ferrari ace manages to get himself alongside Lando Norris for Sunday’s race.
It’s his second-best result of the season and is an encouraging sign for Ferrari after they brought new upgrades, with Lewis Hamilton close behind in fourth too.
How does he feel about it?
“I’m very pleased. It’s been a long time since we started on the front row,” Leclerc said to F1TV. “It’s been a difficult season overall but the team have kept pushing.
“We’ve brought some new parts this weekend, which for sure made a difference because the gaps are super close. I’m very happy with the lap.
“It’s a good start to the weekend. We know that we have a better car normally in the race than qualifying, so I hope we can put a bit more pressure on McLaren tomorrow.
Piastri left frustrated after late yellow flag
Oscar Piastri couldn’t get a chance to beat Lando Norris in their final runs in Q3 at the Red Bull Ring after a yellow flag caused by Pierre Gasly ensured he couldn’t start his lap.
It has left the championship leader frustrated, although he does start the race from third anyway and will have a chance to fight back to hunt down his teammate and the pole sitter, Norris, in Austria.
“It was the fact I didn’t get to start it [his final lap], that was the problem I had,” Piastri told F1TV. “Gasly spun at the last corner so I didn’t even open my second lap.
“Lando has been very quick all weekend and it would have been a tough challenge, but I think we easily had enough pace in the car this weekend to be on the front row.
“So always a shame when you don’t even get the chance but we can still have a good race from there. It’s sometimes just not your day.”
LANDO NORRIS TAKES POLE POSITION FOR 2025 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX
That’s far more like it for Lando Norris who looked like the driver he was from 2020-2023 as he delivers a commanding lap to take pole position at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix.
The Brit never looked in doubt in Spielberg and consistently got faster throughout the afternoon, eventually posting a 1:03.971 to take the top spot by 0.521 ahead of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. He was the only man to dip below the 1:04s!
Meanwhile for Oscar Piastri, third is a good consolation spot but he will be frustrated after Pierre Gasly’s late spin forced him to have to back out and he couldn’t improve on his time.
Max Verstappen was similarly affected and will start from seventh! That’s the Red Bull driver’s worst starting spot of the year. Will he be able to fight back?
Top 10: Norris (pole), Leclerc, Piastri, Hamilton, Russell, Lawson, Verstappen, Bortoleto, Antonelli, Gasly.
Four minutes to go: Russell noted for unsafe release
The FiA have noted George Russell’s unsafe release, which upset both Ferraris and Max Verstappen at the start of Q3.
The Brit irritatedly told his team to tell him when cars are coming down the pit-lane, insisting he can’t see them.
It might be tough to defend to the stewards, and could be a grid-drop penalty for the Canadian GP winner as this qualifying disaster continues on.
Final runs are due up now.
Six minutes to go: First runs on the board – Lando Norris has the edge!
Lando Norris puts in a 1:04.268 to put almost three tenths between himself and Oscar Piastri, a mammoth gap around such a short lap, as the McLarens look to be fighting for pole.
But there is a twist! Charles Leclerc splits the two with his Ferrari, could he be on for a huge result in Austria?
First runs complete: Norris, Leclerc, Piastri, Hamilton, Russell, Verstappen, Antonelli, Bortoleto, Gasly and Lawson (no time).
Potential unsafe release for Russell?
As if this qualifying afternoon couldn’t het much worse for Mercedes and George Russell, the Brit might have just collected an unsafe release in the pit-lane.
He was let out right in front of the Ferrari, and they were not too far away from crashing. Max Verstappen wasn’t happy about it either. Will the FIA look into that?
The battle for pole is coming up!
GREEN FLAG: Q3 begins: Who will take pole in Austria?
The script seems to have everything teed up for McLaren to dominate the battle for pole at the Red Bull Ring but can the team actually seal the deal, or will they get a shock from Red Bull and Ferrari?
Lando Norris practically has pole position in the bag on the evidence of Q1 and Q2, he’s had a clear edge over Oscar Piastri so far.
OUT in Q2: Bearman (15th), Colapinto, Hadjar, Albon and Alonso.
Out in Q1: Hulkenberg (20th), Sainz, Tsunoda, Ocon and Stroll.
OUT IN Q2: Antonelli survives late scare
Kimi Antonelli was just under half a tenth away from being eliminated from qualifying at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix but the Mercedes manages to sneak through to the final part of the afternoon in 10th place.
The Silver Arrows simply lack performance in the hotter temperatures as this strange trend impacting the car only continues to make Toto Wolff’s engineers scratch their heads on the pit wall.
OUT in Q2: Bearman (15th), Colapinto, Hadjar, Albon, Alonso.
Final laps here
The Mercedes cars could be at risk. Will they manage to make it?
Find out as the final laps of Q2 filter in, a lot could change!
GREEN FLAG: Session is back underway
Nobody as of yet is keen to get out onto the circuit as everyone waits for the peak track conditions to put their best times on the board.
It could be a hectic end to proceedings, who will make it? Will drama follow? Will we see a surprise exit?
Find out here with Total-Motorsport.com.
Who is in danger with five minutes to go?
Who needs to find some extra time to improve at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix?
Franco Colapinto for Alpine is currently 15th, then comes Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber), Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), Oliver Bearman (Haas), Alex Albon (Williams) all need to find extra time.
Lando Norris tops the session with a 1:04.410, ahead of Oscar Piastri as the McLaren pair seem poised to fight for pole. Then comes Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari, ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
RED FLAG: Five minutes to go
The session is briefly stopped for a wildfire at the exit of Turn 10, which shouldn’t take the marshals too long to handle.
The clock freezes with 05:42 to go, and drivers will get a chance to look over their data and go for one or two more runs in a bid to get into the Top 10.
Who will make the cut?
Seven minutes to go: McLaren smash the times again
Lando Norris has just put nearly seven tenths of a second over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, which is quite the statement to make ahead of the Q3 shootout for pole position.
Oscar Piastri slots into second and both the Ferrari cars of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have also jumped ahead of the Dutchman, who is now in fifth.
He’s far from happy with his car too, complaining that it’s undriveable and isn’t offering him any qualities at all.
10 minutes to go: Ferrari go early in Austria
Just three cars have gone early in Austria, with those being Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, whom are joined by Williams’ Alex Albon.
Leclerc has the time to beat so far with a 1:05.446, leading Hamilton by a couple of tenths whilst Albon is 0.624 off.
Expect those times to fall quickly when the rest of the grid comes out.
Q2 begins in Styria
Drivers now have 14 minutes to get their best laps on the board and book their spots into the fight for pole position at the Red Bull Ring, who will make it?
We lost Hulkenberg (20th), Sainz, Tsunoda, Ocon and Stroll in Q1 with Sainz complaining that the car was undriveable, listing a wide series of technical faults.
George Russell is a lucky man
George Russell had a huge mistake in the second sector and was four tenths down on his time, but managed to make up for it as he dashed towards the line.
For a brief moment, the Canadian GP pole sitter looked as though he was destined for a Q1 exit but he manages to sneak on through.
Lucky stuff for the Silver Arrows.
OUT in Q1: Tsunoda doesn’t make the cut in Austria
Yuki Tsunoda will be a very frustrated driver once again as his afternoon comes to an early end, with the 25-year-old complaining of a lap of front grip on his Red Bull at the Red Bull Ring. He’s out in 18th!
Joining him is Carlos Sainz, who could only put together a scrappy lap and simply didn’t have any time left to give on his final run in Austria, his rough start to life at Williams continues on in 2025.
OUT IN Q1: Hulkenberg (20th), Sainz, Tsunoda, Ocon, Stroll.
Sensational lap by Alex Albon
Not too many people would’ve expected Alex Albon to have such a strong advantage over Carlos Sainz at the end of the 2024 season, but the Thai-Brit continues to impress in the ongoing campaign.
He gets his Williams up into fifth, just 0.471 behind Lando Norris’ chart-topping time, and should be safely into Q2 with that effort.
Sainz, meanwhile, is one spot above elimination after a few hairy moments around his last lap. He will need to go again.
Six minutes to go: Who is in danger?
The final runs will be due up shortly as 15 drivers look to book safe passage through to Q2 at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
Five will have to go for an early shower and deal with the disappointment of elimination, but who could they be?
With the minutes ticking down, Carlos Sainz (20th), Fernando Alonso, Oliver Bearman, Alex Albon and Lance Stroll all need to find some extra time.
Eight minutes to go: Piastri slots into second
Oscar Piastri moves his McLaren MCL39 to slot right in behind his colleague, Lando Norris, who is 0.332 tenths up the road at the Red Bull Ring.
Then comes Max Verstappen in third, with Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli completing the top five.
More times should be due to come from the front-runners, who aren’t quite safe yet.
10 minutes to go: Norris pips Verstappen
Those leading cars have now come out onto the circuit and, unsurprisingly, it is McLaren’s Lando Norris picking up from where he left off.
The Brit’s 1:04.672 is good enough to beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.434 and that could already put him safely through to the next round of the session.
Neither McLaren cars should be at risk, really.
14 minutes to go: Hulkenberg goes to the top
Nico Hulkenberg flexes the early pace from those teams fighting to make it through to Q2 as the German pops his Sauber to the top of the times with a 1:05.681.
That will, however, change when the likes of Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari hit the track and push themselves.
GREEN FLAG: Session begins
Drivers head out onto the track to bid to get their names into the pool for Q2 in Austria.
Early doors, it’s mostly those who feel as though they could struggle to make that cut such as Lance Stroll and Esteban Ocon. They have 18 minutes to get those laps on the board.
Who will manage to make the cut? Find out here with Total-Motorsport.com.
Start of qualifying delayed
That will likely be due to the red flag and incidents in the Formula 2 Sprint Race from around half-an-hour earlier, which featured multi-car pile ups.
The session will begin around 16:05 CET (local) time in Austria, who will take pole position when we get going?
ICYMI: Here are the results from FP3 in Spielberg
Missed out on the action from Free Practice 3 in Austria?
Catch-up on how the final qualifying simulations played out below, courtesy of Total-Motorsport.com.
Mercedes relying on talent, not car pace?
Mercedes come into this weekend knowing that high-speed corners at hot tracks do not suit their W16 concept, and it could be a bad afternoon the for the Silver Arrows as far as qualifying goes.
Will they be relying on the blistering pace of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli to secure a strong spot for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix?
It could come down to a one-lap miracle from Russell, who looks for his second consecutive pole position.
Can Ferrari make an impression?
Charles Leclerc is not far away from the leading trio of Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri Max Verstappen, and after narrowly missing out in Monaco, could he bag his first pole of the season in Austria?
Ferrari have brought new updates, which appear to be performing as expected, so can they give the Monegasque talent and Lewis Hamilton the platform they need to go on to delight the Tifosi with a strong Saturday showing?
Find out here with Total-Motorsport.com.
Max Verstappen’s big spin in front of the Orange Army
It wasn’t just the championship leader messing up either in Free Practice 3 as our four-time defending world champion also had an embarrassing moment too.
Check out Max Verstappen’s spin out of the final corner, which was very similar to Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar – perhaps an issue with the rear-suspension at this circuit?
Yuki Tsunoda also had a spin at Turn 1 too in the other Red Bull car.
It’s not easy out there in Spielberg
Check out the championship leader making a rare mistake that is instantly punished by the gravel in Austria.
The Red Bull Ring is a track that can bite hard if the limits are crossed.
Will someone make a costly mistake in qualifying at 16:00 local time (CET)?
Welcome to the blog!
Will McLaren claim their seventh pole position of the 2025 Formula 1 season or will the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull find a respond at the Austrian Grand Prix?
Lando Norris led the way at the end of FP3, but Max Verstappen, George Russell and Charles Leclerc are not far away…
It’s promising to be a thriller at the Red Bull Ring, find out how it unfolds here with Total-Motorsport.com.
Where to Watch 2025 Austrian GP Qualifying
For viewers in the United States, the 2025 Austrian GP Qualifying session will be shown live on ESPN2, with streaming coverage via ESPN+. In the UK, all sessions, including Qualifying, are available on Sky Sports F1. Fans in Australia can catch all the action on Fox Sports 506, Kayo Sports, and Foxtel.
What time is Qualifying at the 2025 Austrian GP?
Qualifying for the 2025 Austrian GP at the Red Bull Ring is scheduled to start at 4:00pm local time (CEST) on Saturday. That corresponds to a 3:00pm start in the UK (BST), 10:00am in U.S. Eastern Time, and 7:00am Pacific Time. In Australia (AEST), viewers can tune in at 00:00am on Sunday morning.
- Austria (CEST) – 4:00 PM (Saturday)
- United Kingdom (BST) – 3:00 PM (Saturday)
- USA Eastern (EDT) – 10:00 AM (Saturday)
- USA Pacific (PDT) – 7:00 AM (Saturday)
- Australia (AEST) – 00:00 AM (Sunday)
