Red Bull’s Verstappen had struggled in practice but found extra pace in qualifying to take pole ahead of McLaren’s Piastri and Norris, who both made small but costly mistakes.
It could be a hectic fight for the win with Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari all showing strong pace in qualifying, with the top six cars covered by just 0.229 of a second.
The leading contenders are using contrasting setups which mean different strengths and weaknesses at various points on the track. Verstappen’s car in particular sacrifices grip through the corners for top speed on the straights.
Piastri leads the standings by 15 points from Norris, the winner of last week’s Austrian Grand Prix, with Verstappen a distant third, 61 points off the lead. (AP) APA APA
