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The 2023 F1 Austrian GP will feature Max Verstappen on pole position, with Charles Leclerc alongside him on the front row. The Dutch driver secured his fourth pole position in a row during qualifying and fended off a late charge from the Ferrari driver.
The duo will be followed by Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris on the second row, with Lewis Hamilton completing the top five. The 2023 F1 Austrian GP qualifying proved to be a revelatory experience for both the teams and the drivers. With only an hour of running prior to the session, it was hard to draw too many conclusions about how the grid stacked up. the qualifying session, though provided key pointers that not many would have thought of. What were they? Well, let's take a look.
2023 F1 Austrian GP qualifying: What did we learn?
#1. Max Verstappen has something in reserve for the competition
The 2023 F1 Austrian GP showed that Max Verstappen might be slowly looking at a competition that is growing in confidence but is just not there yet. This has been obvious in the last few races, where there have been a few moments where he could easily have slipped up but didn't.
Even during qualifying, Leclerc came within a tenth of taking the pole position away from him, but Verstappen calculated things to perfection and left nothing to chance. At the 2023 F1 Austrian GP as well, the driver will start the race on pole positon, and it's hard to see him breaking much of a sweat in order to win the race.
#2. Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris are elite talents weighed down by the machinery
Watching Charles Leclerc fling his Ferrari through the third sector with sparks flying all over was a thing of beauty. So was watching Lando Norris leave the Mercedes and Aston Martin drivers behind in his upgraded McLaren. Now, it would be almost foolish to assume that the McLaren is quicker than Mercedes and Aston Martin. It's the driver making the difference.
It was interesting to read quite a few pundits claim that the top three drivers in F1 are Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, and Lewis Hamilton. After today, it will take a brave man not to include talents like Norris and Leclerc in that list. The 2023 F1 Austrian GP qualifying showed how compromised these two are because of the machinery, and sometimes fixating only on the results could be counterproductive.
#3. Ferrari offers an enticing prospect for the Sprint Saturday
Ferrari's race pace in Canada was an eye-opener because there was hardly anything separating the Italian team from the top 3. At the 2023 F1 Austrian GP, Ferrari has two drivers starting the race in the top 3. If the race pace performance in Canada was no fluke, then we are looking at a scenario where we could have a very interesting race.
On the other hand, if we have Ferrari reverting to its generic Sunday form, then that would be a tough watch. Overall, until all the cards on the table are revealed, Ferrari continues to be a very interesting prospect.
#4. George Russell and Sergio Perez are drivers under pressure
George Russel and Sergio Perez had a disappointing 2023 F1 Austrian GP qualifying as neither made it to Q3. The two are watching their exceptionally talented teammates tighten the noose within the team and finding it hard to keep up.
Russell has made multiple mistakes already this season, while Perez has been only consistent in underperforming in the last 4 races. The 2023 F1 Austrian GP has not started on the best note for these two drivers, and they will hoping to strike back on Saturday.
#5. Alpine has not truly escaped the midfield yet
With one driver getting eliminated in Q2 and the other qualifying P9, Alpine should be disappointed after the session, and this should prove to be a reality check as well. The team has been riding high on the momentum of Ocon's podium in Monaco. However, the pace on Sundays has never really shown the capability of challenging at the front.
The layout in Austria has not worked with Alpine's at all, and the team should use this experience to continue the development work back at the factory.
