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The grid is more or less set for the 2022 F1 Austrian GP sprint qualifying on Saturday. To the delight of the Dutch fans in attendance, Max Verstappen scored only his 3rd pole position of the season. It was very close between the Red Bull and the Ferrari drivers as Verstappen came out on top with a lap that was less than a tenth faster than what Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz could manage.
While it was a good day's work for the Red Bull driver, at the same time, others would be tearing their hair out after a not-so-good Friday qualifying session. In this feature for the 2022 F1 Austrian GP, let's take a look at both sides of the spectrum as we determine the winners and the losers of today's qualifying.
Winners and Losers of the 2022 F1 Austrian GP Qualifying
Winner
Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen sorely needed this pole position. Not because he is in a peculiar situation in the championship or because he desperately needs to close down the deficit to his challenger. He needed this pole position because just a week ago he qualified inside the top 3 and yet got booed in Silverstone. He was leading the race and was on his way to a win but got his car damaged, which was cheered by the crowd.
Here, in what is the closest it has got for him to a home race (before Zandvoort returned last season), Verstappen is treated like a hero by the Dutch fans. And for these fans, there's only one thing he needs to do this weekend: he needs to deliver. Even though Verstappen doesn't show too many emotions, that pole position surely would have felt extra sweet.
Loser
Lewis Hamilton
You'll have to dig through the history books to find out the last time Lewis Hamilton crashed in qualifying. The thing is, at the 2022 F1 Austrian GP qualifying, Hamilton smelled blood for the first time in a long, long while. He felt there was an opportunity that he could maybe sneak in another pole position to add to the 100 odd he already has in his career.
From the very first lap in Q3, it was clear that Hamilton was pushing extra hard. As a result, he committed a mistake and found himself in the barrier. Max Verstappen gave a rather terse reply to Hamilton's jibe at Silverstone. This was the Briton's opportunity to hit a reply by putting his car alongside Verstappen for the 2022 F1 Austrian GP sprint and he blew it.
Winner
Haas
This should be a reminder that upgrades are not everything in F1. Just take a look at Haas. The car should easily be considered the 5th fastest car of the 2022 F1 Austrian GP weekend. And all of this without a single upgrade on the launch car.
It has been an impressive session for Haas. The team has been on a downward trajectory in the last couple of races but with the way it bounced back in Silverstone and now in the Spielberg qualifying, it's commendable. The American outfit will be looking to score some good points tomorrow for the championship. Let's see how the two drivers fare.
Loser
Aston Martin
It's P17 and P20 after the 2022 F1 Austrian GP qualifying session for Aston Martin. What went wrong? Nobody knows. This is the third straight Q1 elimination for a team that appears to have a very strong race car. Even in the 2022 F1 British GP, Aston Martin was dumped out of Q1 but ended up scoring points.
This weekend, however, it's not even wet, as it was in Silverstone. The track layout for the 2022 F1 Austrian GP is expected to suit Aston Martin as well. Even then, why is it struggling this much? The team needs to chart a path back to the points because results like these are just not justifiable anymore.
Winner
Esteban Ocon
In terms of raw pace, it's hard to confidently say that Esteban Ocon is the fastest Alpine driver. If the 2022 F1 Austrian GP qualifying is any proof, however, the French driver has something special about him. 4 tenths of a second! That was the gap between Ocon and his teammate Fernando Alonso after their very first laps.
It was in line with the gap the two had even in P1 as well. Yet, throughout the qualifying session, Ocon kept plugging away and finding speed. At the end of Q3, Ocon's first lap was 7 tenths slower than the benchmark. His teammate's first lap? 3 tenths slower than Ocon.
Sure, the red flag disrupted Alonso's rhythm, but kudos to the French driver for plugging away and scoring the best result with what he had at his disposal.
Loser
Fernando Alonso
There's going to be a lot of broken furniture on Fernando Alonso's side of the garage after qualifying. The Spaniard was in sublime form but once again when it mattered, because of one thing or the other, he lost out.
Having said that, there's still a question mark over why Alonso was unable to do a time faster than his teammate's on his first run on the fresh softs. According to the Spaniard, a mistake on his first lap led to a broken floor that impacted his qualifying. Even if that was the case, it should not happen at this level as this cost Alonso at least three grid slots for the sprint.
