In the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League, Max Verstappen achieved the fastest time in the sprint qualifying at the Red Bull Ring, while Charles Leclerc from Ferrari faced difficulties in SQ3.
The current championship leader, who has won nine out of the 14 sprints so far, surpassed McLaren’s Lando Norris to secure pole position for the sprint by a margin of 0.093 seconds. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took third place, but was 0.301 seconds behind Verstappen’s fastest time – completing a lap in 1m04.686s.
George Russell secured fourth place in the sprint qualifying, just 0.067s behind Piastri, while Carlos Sainz completed the top five for Ferrari.
Unfortunately, Charles Leclerc, Sainz’s teammate, had engine problems just as he was about to leave the pits, resulting in the loss of valuable time and preventing him from completing a fast lap. As a result, Leclerc will start the sprint in 10th place.
It took three minutes for any on-track action to take place in SQ3, as the competitors waited until the last possible moment to go for the fastest lap with soft tires. Mercedes allowed the queue to leave the pits, with Sergio Perez, Pierre Gasly, and Charles Leclerc positioned at the end of the queue.
Lewis Hamilton finished in sixth place in the sprint qualifying, ahead of Perez, who struggled throughout the session and was 1.322 seconds behind his teammate, partly due to a compromised out lap.
Esteban Ocon secured eighth place in the qualifying, while his teammate Pierre Gasly, who recently signed a new contract with Alpine, took ninth place.
During Q2, Verstappen led the standings, surpassing Russell by over a tenth of a second with his initial and only attempt in the qualifying segment. However, Verstappen encountered a bit of gravel at Turn 6, the same corner that caused Hamilton to fail in Q1.
Piastri followed Verstappen in Q2, with the Ferrari cars close behind, and Hamilton finishing in sixth place. Norris and Perez seemed to struggle compared to their rivals, securing seventh and eighth places, respectively. In this part of the sprint qualifying, Perez was 0.426 seconds behind his teammate.
Both Alpine cars advanced to Q3, with Ocon securing ninth place and Gasly in tenth place in Q2.
Kevin Magnussen from Haas came very close to advancing to Q3, finishing in 11th place, just 0.049s behind the cutoff.
None of the Aston Martin drivers advanced to Q3, as Lance Stroll finished in 12th and Fernando Alonso in 13th. This left Yuki Tsunoda in 14th place and Logan Sargeant, the Williams driver under pressure, surpassing his teammate Alex Albon, in 15th place, 0.827s off the pace in Q2.
Q1 took place on a dusty surface with less than ideal grip, causing difficulties for some drivers as they navigated the track on medium tires.
Hamilton had a scare in Q1 when his first lap was invalidated due to track limits at Turn 6. Additionally, his redemption attempt was hindered by traffic due to his exit from the pits at an unfavorable time. However, he managed to advance to Q2 in 13th place, ahead of Sargeant from Williams and Tsunoda from Red Bull, who made it to the second segment despite spinning at the final corner at the end of Q1.
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was the first driver to be eliminated, followed by Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg in 17th place.
Valtteri Bottas, from Sauber, and Albon, from Williams, who was two tenths of a second behind his teammate Sargeant in SQ1, were next on the list.
Zhou Guanyu, like Hamilton, had his first attempt invalidated due to track limits in SQ1. However, the Sauber driver was unable to improve his time and qualified in 20th place overall for the sprint, half a second behind the next best driver, Albon.
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The football star Lionel Messi has just signed a millionaire contract with Paris Saint-Germain. After leaving Barcelona, where he played for over 20 years, Messi now joins PSG for the next season. The transfer was announced this Tuesday and is already causing a great impact in the football world.
Messi, considered one of the greatest players of all time, arrives at Paris Saint-Germain with the mission of winning titles and taking the French club to the top of European football. The Argentine’s signing was a big blow for PSG, who now have one of the best players in the world in their squad.
At 34 years old, Messi still shows a high level of football and promises to be a key piece in the PSG team. With his skill and game vision, the Argentine can make a difference in any match. In addition, his experience and leadership will be important in motivating his teammates.
Messi’s transfer to PSG also represents a great challenge for the player. After so many years at Barcelona, where he became an idol and won numerous titles, the Argentine will have to adapt to a new environment and a new style of play. However, his quality and talent should facilitate this transition.
With Messi’s arrival, PSG strengthens even more as one of the favorites to win the Champions League. The French club already has other great players, like Neymar and Mbappé, and now they will have Messi as a powerful weapon in their attack. The expectation is that PSG’s offensive trio will be unstoppable in the next season.
Messi’s signing with PSG also shakes up the football market. Other European clubs, like Manchester City and Chelsea, were interested in having the Argentine, but PSG came out on top. Now, we just have to wait and see how Messi will perform in this new challenge and if PSG will be able to conquer titles with their new star.
