Max Verstappen claimed the fastest time in sprint qualifying at the Red Bull Ring, securing pole position for the upcoming race. Meanwhile, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc encountered technical difficulties, costing him valuable time and relegating him to 10th place on the grid.

Verstappen, the current championship leader, continued his impressive form by edging out McLaren's Lando Norris by a slim margin of 0.093 seconds to clinch sprint pole. Another McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri, secured a solid third place, albeit 0.301 seconds behind Verstappen's blistering lap time of 1m04.686s.

In fourth place, George Russell showcased his talent for Williams, finishing just 0.067s behind Piastri. Carlos Sainz, representing Ferrari, completed the top five.

However, Leclerc's hopes of a strong starting position were dashed when his engine appeared to cut out just as he was about to exit the pitlane. This unfortunate incident prevented him from setting a flying lap and ultimately resulted in a 10th-place grid position for the sprint.

Sprint qualifying began with a three-minute delay as the drivers strategically waited until the last possible moment to vie for the fastest lap on soft tires. Mercedes allowed the queue of cars to leave the pitlane first, with Sergio Perez, Pierre Gasly, and Leclerc forming the back of the line.

Despite a compromised outlap, Lewis Hamilton managed to finish sixth overall in sprint qualifying, ahead of his struggling teammate Perez, who trailed by 1.322 seconds. Esteban Ocon, representing Alpine, secured eighth place, while his teammate Gasly settled for ninth.

During the second segment of sprint qualifying, Verstappen continued to dominate, setting the fastest time and outpacing Russell by over a tenth of a second. However, he encountered a slight setback when he collected some gravel at Turn 6, the same corner that caught Hamilton off guard in the first segment.

Piastri impressed once again, securing the second-fastest time in the second segment. The Ferraris followed closely behind, with Hamilton trailing in sixth place. Norris and Perez faced challenges and finished seventh and eighth, respectively.

Both Alpines successfully advanced to the final segment of qualifying, with Ocon in ninth and Gasly in 10th. Unfortunately, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen narrowly missed out on the opportunity to compete in the final segment, finishing in 11th place by a mere 0.049 seconds.

Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso failed to reach the final segment, settling for 12th and 13th place, respectively. Yuki Tsunoda claimed 14th place, while Williams driver Logan Sargeant, outperforming his teammate Alex Albon, finished in 15th place, 0.827 seconds behind the leader.

Sprint qualifying commenced on a dusty surface with limited grip, leading to several drivers struggling on medium tires. Hamilton encountered a setback in the first segment due to track limit violations, but managed to advance to the next segment in 13th place. Williams' Sargeant and Red Bull's Tsunoda also progressed despite Tsunoda spinning at the final turn.

Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull Racing was the first driver to be eliminated, followed by Haas' Nico Hulkenberg in 17th place. Valtteri Bottas of Sauber and Albon of Williams trailed behind on the leaderboard. Zhou Guanyu, like Hamilton, had his initial lap time deleted due to track limit violations, ultimately qualifying in 20th place, half a second behind the closest competitor, Albon.

The stage is now set for an exhilarating sprint race, as Verstappen looks to continue his dominant form and extend his lead in the championship standings.