(Reuters) – Red Bull’s Formula One leader Max Verstappen took pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix on Friday while team mate and closest title rival Sergio Perez qualified only 15th after having a lap deleted.
The pole was Verstappen’s fourth in a row, while Mexican Perez, 69 points behind Verstappen after eight races all won by Red Bull, failed to make the top 10 for the fourth race in succession.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified second with team mate Carlos Sainz third.
Drivers will have another qualifying on Saturday for a standalone 100 km sprint race that no longer determines Sunday’s grid under a new format introduced this season and first used in Azerbaijan in April.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, Editing by Louise Heavens)
