It was not a great day of qualifying for Red Bull for the Austrian Grand Prix, as Max Verstappen will start P7 and Yuki Tsunoda will start P18 after being knocked out in Q1.
In Q1, Verstappen's first flying lap started well with a purple first sector. The Dutchman suffered a rear lock which slowed his time somehwat, but it was good enough to sit P2 initially after McLaren's Lando Norris crossed the line 0.434 seconds faster. Ultimately, this run was good enough to get through Q1 in P6.
Verstappen complained on the team radio over a lack of grip in Q2, having set the fifth-fastest time on his initial run. After a red flag paused Q2 for a fire alongside the track, Verstappen put his car P3 behind the two McLarens before Ferrari's Charles Leclerc pipped up by 0.102 seconds.
The four-time World Champion's first lap in Q3 came on a used set of softs, seeing him sit 0.661 seconds behind Norris for the lead. His final run, however, was affected by Alpine's Pierre Gasly's spin at the final corner, bringing out yellow flags that impeded a run that should have seen him finish on the second row.
As a result, Verstappen starts the race down in P7, with a huge amount to do to chase down a podium. The result comes at a time when talks are reportedly taking place between Verstappen's camp and Mercedes, with his future at Red Bull unclear beyond this season.
Should performance continue to slip, there will be increasing concerns that he could leave the Milton Keynes team prematurely, leaving them seeking a new top driver for the new regulations.
Tsunoda's initial lap was sixth-fastest at one stage, 0.714 seconds behind the lead, but it tumbled down the order as more and more drivers put times on the board. His second lap could only improve by a couple of hundredths, leaving him P18 and out of Q1.
This continues a run of poor qualifying performances for the 25-year-old Japanese driver, who began his time with Red Bull positively but has failed to maintain performances with the RB21.
Red Bull has already slipped to fourth in the Constructors' Championship, and having neither driver sitting close to the front row will be a disappointment for a team needing to find answers.
Tomorrow's race starts at 3pm, with both Red Bull drivers hoping they can climb the order and finish in, or higher up, the points.
