Verstappen takes pole in Austrian GP

Max Verstappen

Relentless Max Verstappen clinched his third straight pole position with a commanding drive for Red Bull at the Austrian Grand Prix on Saturday, while title rival Lewis Hamilton could only manage fourth place for flagging Mercedes.

Hamilton extends contract

Hamilton was under pressure in his final lap and went too wide on the last two turns. On the day he announced a two-year contract extension, the seven-time F1 champion was even upstaged by countryman Lando Norris, 21, who qualified second for McLaren ahead of Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez.

Norris just behind Max

Norris almost caught Verstappen, too, placing just .05 seconds behind him. Verstappen leads Hamilton 5-2 in poles this season and the pressure is on Hamilton heading into Sunday's race.

He trails Verstappen by 18 points and 4-3 for wins. A bad day for Mercedes saw Valtteri Bottas qualifying in fifth. Cool and overcast conditions had been forecast for the final practice and qualifying, which would have favored Mercedes, but both sessions were held in warm weather with sporadic bursts of sunshine splashing the Red Bull ring.

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