Esteban Ocon took his fourteenth pole position of the FIA European Formula 3 Championship season in an exciting qualifying session at the Red Bull Ring where four drivers were fighting for top spot throughout.
Pole changed hands three times in the final moments of the session, with Prema Powerteam driver Ocon coming out on top from his main championship rival Max Verstappen of Van Amersfoort Racing and Tom Blomqvist and Antonio Giovinazzi of Jagonya Ayam with Carlin.
Verstappen was the first to take top spot in the closing stages before being usurped by Blomqvist, before Ocon beat them all to be the only driver to set a time underneath 1:25s. Verstappen had time to do one more lap but could only move into second.
Giovinazzi was on course for a faster lap that could have taken him to pole, but he encountered traffic and headed to the pits, and will therefore start from fourth. It is a good return to form for the young Italian, who had been struggling in the recent rounds at the Norisring and at Moscow Raceway.
Antonio Fuoco was fifth for Prema Powerteam ahead of Jake Dennis of Carlin, while 0.039s covered positions seven through to eleven. Gustavo Menezes was seventh for Van Amersfoort Racing, ahead of Mücke Motorsport duo Lucas Auer and Felix Rosenqvist, while Ed Jones beat Carlin team-mate Jordan King to tenth.
Red Bull Ring Race 1 Qualifying Times
| POS | DRIVER | NAT | TEAM | TIME |
| 1 | Esteban Ocon | FRA | Prema Powerteam | 1:24.856 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | NED | Van Amersfoort Racing | 1:25.006 |
| 3 | Tom Blomqvist | GBR | Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 1:25.045 |
| 4 | Antonio Giovinazzi | ITA | Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 1:25.206 |
| 5 | Antonio Fuoco | ITA | Prema Powerteam | 1:25.353 |
| 6 | Jake Dennis | GBR | Carlin | 1:25.367 |
| 7 | Gustavo Menezes | USA | Van Amersfoort Racing | 1:25.450 |
| 8 | Lucas Auer | AUT | Mücke Motorsport | 1:25.454 |
| 9 | Felix Rosenqvist | SWE | Mücke Motorsport | 1:25.473 |
| 10 | Ed Jones | UAE | Carlin | 1:25.474 |
| 11 | Jordan King | GBR | Carlin | 1:25.489 |
| 12 | Nicholas Latifi | CAN | Prema Powerteam | 1:25.555 |
| 13 | Dennis van de Laar | NED | Prema Powerteam | 1:25.769 |
| 14 | Felix Serralles | PUE | Team West-Tec F3 | 1:25.876 |
| 15 | Roy Nissany | ISR | Mücke Motorsport | 1:25.920 |
| 16 | Sean Galael | INO | Jagonya Ayam with Carlin | 1:26.047 |
| 17 | Santino Ferrucci | USA | EuroInternational | 1:26.133 |
| 18 | Alexander Toril | ESP | ThreeBond with T-sport | 1:26.151 |
| 19 | Richard Goddard | AUS | ThreeBond with T-sport | 1:26.265 |
| 20 | Tatiana Calderon | COL | Jo Zeller Racing | 1:26.340 |
| 21 | Jules Szymkowiak | NED | Van Amersfoort Racing | 1:26.372 |
| 22 | Hector Hurst | GBR | Team West-Tec F3 | 1:26.544 |
| 23 | Sandro Zeller | SWI | Jo Zeller Racing | 1:26.549 |
| 24 | John Bryant-Meisner | SWE | Fortec Motorsports | 1:26.683 |
| 25 | Michele Beretta | ITA | EuroInternational | 1:26.839 |
| 26 | Alfonso Celis Jr | MEX | Fortec Motorsports | 1:27.116 |
