Max Verstappen on Austrian Grand Prix pole position with Lando Norris second

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix with McLaren’s Lando Norris in a stunning second place.

Norris was just 0.048 seconds behind Verstappen, whose title rival Lewis Hamilton could manage only fourth behind Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.

Norris’ fellow Briton George Russell put in an equally outstanding performance.

The 23-year-old got his Williams into the final part of qualifying for the first time in three years of trying and will start ninth.

Russell made it into the top 10 shootout despite using the medium tyre in the second part of qualifying, so he can gain the strategic advantage of starting the race on it.

Russell beat both Ferraris, who were also on the medium tyre, Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren, Fernando Alonso’s Alpine and Antonio Giovinazzi’s Alfa Romeo, all three of which were on the faster soft tyre.

However, Alonso would have beaten Russell and knocked him out of the top 10 had he not been badly blocked by Sebastian Vettel’s Aston Martin on his final lap in second qualifying.

The Spaniard was furious, swearing over the radio and frantically gesticulating at Vettel as they went down the pit straight afterwards.

Vettel, who qualified eighth, held up his hand to apologise to Alonso as they crossed the line and the incident will be investigated after qualifying. The four-time champion seems certain to be handed a grid penalty for impeding a rival.