Max Verstappen could count on huge support from the Red Bull Ring crowd, and delighted his gathered fans by securing pole position for Saturday's Sprint race.
The Dutchman's Orange Army made their voices heard and could not be missed as they let off smoke flares which drifted across the track throughout the day. With support like that it felt inevitable that the Red Bull man would go fastest in qualifying, even with the likes of Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc in the hunt.
Lewis Hamilton also had ambitions of pole with his Mercedes performing better. But he crashed during Q3, causing heavy damage to his car, while team-mate George Russell also hit a tyre wall moments after the session was restarted. The locals made little attempt to hide their delight as Verstappen's old rival crashed out.
