THE AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX is here – and there's the small matter of qualifying today at the Red Bull Ring.
Lewis Hamilton is now 18 points behind rival Max Verstappen but had a boost by securing victory in second practice.
- Practice Three: 11am
- Qualifying: 2pm
- Race: 2pm Sunday
- TV/ live stream: Sky Sports F1
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- William Pugh
CRY WOLFF
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is 'carefully optimistic' about his team winning in Austria this weekend.
The Silver Arrows have gone four races without a win but Wolff fancies his team's chances after a decent showing in practice today.
He said: "[I'm] carefully optimistic.
"I think probably the speed that Red Bull had all these years, I expect more engine to come from these guys but we’ve improved in some of the corner sequences so that is encouraging."
- William Pugh
WHERE WILL YOU BE WATCHING?!
The hunt for pole in Austria is on… again! 👊
Wherever you are, join SunSport's live blog on Saturday to see who'll line up on pole.
#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 #F1
- William Pugh
'IT WAS AMAZING'
Guanyu Zhou became just the second ever driver from mainland China to appear in an official F1 session in Austria this afternoon.
Zhou emulated compatriots Ma Qing Hua – who made five practice appearances for Caterham and HRT – and Adderly Fong – the Hong Kong racer who appeared in 2014 for Sauber.
And the Alpine reserve driver – who stepped into Fernando Alonso's car – was thrilled by the experience.
He said: "It was amazing. I’m really thankful for this opportunity – the team believing in me stepping into Fernando’s car. I had to take care of it, but I was also pushing as much as I could to show my full potential.
“At the end we were actually quite fast with the medium tyres and the team was really happy with the job we’ve done. We actually did a lot rather than just focus on the lap time, we were mainly focused on the getting the new set up changed to help the team.
"And the lap time was also there, so that’s another thing less to worry about. Now we really just focus on the future and what more I can bring to the team.”
- William Pugh
LAND RUSS
Lando Norris wants to see George Russell confirmed as Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate for next season.
Russell, who is currently on loan at Williams from Mercedes, is poised to swap places with Valtteri Bottas for 2022. It would mean an all-British line-up in a team for the first time in 10 years, while McLaren's Norris says he also wants to slug it out with his countrymen.
Norris said: "I rate George a lot. He is one of the best and I think he will give Hamilton a hard time. It is too early to tell if he is as good as Lewis. He is an extremely good driver and talented and one of the best in F1.
"But I don't think you can say that will all the confidence in the world because you have to see what he's like against him and other drivers. He is in his comfort zone at the moment, he is the main guy in his team and he is sitting comfortably and can do what he wants.
"But we also saw in Bahrain last year when he got put in that Mercedes and he was pretty much ahead of Bottas for the whole race and should have finished ahead and won the race.
"So I don't expect anything less from those performances from last season. He is very fast and I think he will give Lewis a very hard time."
Norris reckons Russell will be the perfect match for Hamilton He also thinks Russell will give Hamilton a good challenge - William Pugh
MERC MY WORDS
Mercedes were delighted with their P2 showing in Austria this afternoon and will hope they can carry the form into the weekend.
Lewis Hamilton finished on top with team-mate Valtteri Bottas coming in behind him.
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TIMINGS FOR TOMORROW
P3 is set to begin at 11am UK time, and qualifying is set for 2pm.
The race on Sunday is a 2pm start as well. No football on, lovely afternoon in front of the sofa watching the action.
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RESULTS
A really good afternoon session for Mercedes with Max Verstappen third.
What does that mean for tomorrow?
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TEAM GAME
And Hamilton has followed his team-mate into the gravel as well.
A bit of rain in the air too and could be a quiet last few minutes of this session.
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HOW WE STAND
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PRESSED FOR TIME
And we're into the 1:04s now – it's Hamilton who goes fastest from Bottas and then Verstappen as the teams start to open the taps here.
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NORMAL SERVICE RESUMED
Verstappen goes fastest on a 1:05.2.
Good pace from Vettel as well in the Aston Martin.
Lap times are starting to fall a bit this afternoon – halfway through the session.
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RUN DOWN
Bottas goes fastest with a 1:05.6 – a tenth quicker than Max Verstappen.
And then Hamilton comes in with a 1:05/6 as well just a hair slower than his team-mate.
Welcome to the party, Mercedes.
.Credit: Getty - supal
DE JA VER
And the early pace is set by Verstappen again. 1:05.773.
Tsunoda second and Hamilton third with seven minutes gone.
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HERE WE GO AGAIN
Right then, underway in FP2.
And another busy one to start with lots of cars on track.
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COUNTDOWN
About 15 minutes now from the start of the second session here.
.Credit: AFP .Credit: Rex
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BREAKTHROUGH
Well done to Guanya Zhou on a solid debut this morning.
- supal
HAMILTON SCARE
Almost an incident this morning between Hamilton and Mazepin.
No harm done, thankfully.
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WHAT'S TO COME
We're about 90 minutes away now from the second practice session of the day.
And tomorrow, of course, we'll have FP3 before qualifying.
Can anyone stop Verstappen and Red Bull here? Let us know your thoughts.
- supal
FOOTBALL BANTER
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- supal
ITALIAN JOB
Strong showing from Ferrari this morning in FP1.
P2 for Leclerc and P3 for Sainz.
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HERE'S THE FULL ORDER
Red Bull from Ferrari and Mercedes close behind is the story of the morning.
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SESSION OVER
That's the end of FP1. Some drivers still completing their laps so will get you the final times as they come in.
Verstappen fastest this morning and looking in the mood for an Austria double after last week's win.
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FINAL PUSH
Just 10 minutes to go in what has been another Verstappen dominated session of racing.
The Ferraris have come good, though. Leclerc is second and Sainz third.
As for Hamilton…
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EURO FEVER
Antonio Giovanazzi has something on his mind for later.
Italy take on Belgium in the QF at 8pm UK time – 9pm central European.
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HALFWAY THERE
And Lewis Hamilton has finally put a decent lap time on the board. He's in sixth as we stand, three quarters of a second behind Verstappen's best.
Sainz second, Tsunoda third, Raikkonen fourth and now Gasly in fifth.
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