BWT Alpine F1 Team will line up for Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix with Pierre Gasly ninth and Esteban Ocon twelfth on the grid after a tight Friday afternoon Qualifying session in Spielberg.

Esteban was unfortunate to miss out on a place in Q3 alongside Pierre as his Q2 lap time was deleted for a track limits violation at Turn 10, a common theme throughout the one-hour session for many drivers.

Tomorrow, the team prepares for the Sprint Shootout at 12:00 local time, a shorter version of Qualifying, to define the grid for the afternoon's Sprint Race; the second of the 2023 season.

Esteban Ocon: "It's not been an easy day for us as we didn't reach Q3, which is the minimum aim for each Qualifying session. We were in the top ten in Q2, but our lap was deleted for track limits, which we saw many times this afternoon up and down the grid. The margins are very small here, and we really have to push the limits especially at the final two corners as that's where time is to gain. It is disappointing, but I am confident we can recover some places in Sunday's race from twelfth on the grid. We will review today but now our focus turns to the Sprint Day tomorrow with another Qualifying session before the Sprint Race. There is an opportunity to score points tomorrow and that is our target."

Pierre Gasly: "It was a tricky session for everyone with all the track limits incidents, so it was all about pushing everything to the maximum, trying to extract as much lap time as possible but also staying within the limits, especially at the final two corners. I targeted having a trouble-free session, especially after the last two races, so I'm pleased that was the case today. We definitely have a car capable of being in the top ten and there's another good opportunity tomorrow in the Sprint. It might rain and I'm confident we can score points from the two remaining days in Austria."

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal: "It's always a little disappointing not to have both cars in Q3 in Qualifying but today was largely defined by extremely fine margins for all teams and drivers. Esteban was very close to being in Q3 but for his lap being deleted for track limits; something we saw for most drivers today. As a team, we certainly had the speed to have both cars inside the top ten, so that must be the target for tomorrow where we have the Sprint Shootout to define the grid for the afternoon's Sprint Race. Pierre did a good job today to get into Q3. It was important for his side of the garage to have a smooth afternoon without any issues or incidents, especially after what happened in Spain and Canada, and he's put himself in a decent position on the grid for Sunday's race. There is a long way to go this weekend, where will continue to give maximum effort, and I'm confident scoring strong points with both cars across these next two days is achievable."

Check out our Friday gallery from the Red Bull Ring here.