Max Verstappen crashes out of Austrian Grand Prix qualifying
Max Verstappen’s Austrian Grand Prix qualifying session ended abruptly when his RB22 crashed into the barriers at Turn 9 during Q3, reports BritPanorama.
The four-time world champion lost rear grip, resulting in a spin that occurred in front of a home crowd supportive of Red Bull Racing. Verstappen will start the race from fifth position, with George Russell taking pole, followed by Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Kimi Antonelli.
Before the incident, Verstappen recorded a lap time of 1m06.475s, placing him third until the crash halted any further progression in Q3.
This marks the first time since 2020 that Verstappen has failed to secure pole at the Red Bull Ring, a circuit he has previously dominated during qualifications for four consecutive years.
Describing the moments leading to his accident, Verstappen indicated that troubles began on the previous turn, stating, “In that lap, on Turn 6, there was a big moment on entry.” Despite this warning, he pressed on and encountered a sudden loss of control at Turn 9.
He articulated feeling an unexpected absence of downforce: “As soon as I turned the wheel it just completely went away,” he explained. Red Bull engineers are investigating the mechanical issue, with teammate Isack Hadjar speculating it could be linked to the rear wing’s failure to adjust properly. Verstappen, however, downplayed this theory.
“We are aware of that, and more teams are aware of that, and you already take measures for that,” he said, adding that he had made no significant changes to the car’s setup and was not exceeding reasonable limits. “Normally you can catch an oversteer, but this was not controllable at all, unfortunately,” he noted.
Verstappen acknowledged the potential for a podium finish had he not crashed, stating he believed P3 was within reach: “I think realistically we could have been P3, it’s a little bit better than P5.” Still, he recognized Red Bull’s challenges with starts, suggesting that even from third, he might have dropped back to fifth.
With a significant upgrade package introduced for this race, Verstappen is cautious in assessing its impact, indicating that further analysis is required to understand both the successes and failures of the changes. The team will continue to evaluate data ahead of tomorrow’s race to address the issues encountered during qualifying.
As the race draws nearer, the tension mounts; Verstappen, a figure of resilience and skill, now faces the challenge of navigating a difficult starting position while grappling with the complex dynamics of vehicular performance and team strategy.
