F1 Portuguese GP Live Updates - final practice and qualifying | Live text

By: Jake Boxall-Legge

Summary


	Hamilton snatches pole from Bottas after the Finn took a clean sweep of practice
	Hamilton beats Verstappen in delayed Q1 following drain damage, but Bottas turns the tables to top Q2
	In Q3, Bottas led Hamilton and Verstappen on first runs with soft tyres before Hamilton finds an edge with two-lap second run on mediums when Bottas only had time for one flyer
	Ricciardo unable to set a time in Q3 after damaging rear wing with Q2 spin into barriers
	Both Mercedes and Ferraris elect to use medium tyres for Q2 as Ocon, Stroll, Kvyat, Russell and Vettel eliminated
	Raikkonen, Giovinazzi, Grosjean, Magnussen and Latifi knocked out in Q1 after late flyer from Russell

Status: Stopped

17:52 That brings us to the chequered flag on this live text commentary, if that is even a thing, as we head off to collect the latest news and reaction to qualifying. Be sure to check back in tomorrow for the main event, the F1 Portuguese GP, which starts at 13:10 local time (13:10 GMT) – watch out for those clock changes! Cheers!

17:49 Need a full recap on the last couple of hours of action? You are in luck:

F1 Portuguese GP: Hamilton swipes last-gasp pole from Bottas

Lewis Hamilton stunned Valtteri Bottas to snatch pole position for Formula 1's 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix, after Bottas had topped every practice session and topped Q3 after the opening runs

17:47 It took a while to get going due to those drain covers but once it was resolved it turned into an intriguing F1 qualifying given the mix of tyre strategies. Hamilton and Bottas got it right on the mediums for another Mercedes front-row lockout, while Vettel and Ferrari got it wrong on the same tyre as he qualified P15 and last in Q2. Go figure.

17:43 After his Q2 off Ricciardo wasn't able to get in a lap in the final session so he starts tomorrow's race from P10 behind Gasly in ninth. Full top 10: Hamilton, Bottas, Verstappen, Leclerc, Perez, Albon, Sainz, Norris, Gasly and Ricciardo.

17:39 Hamilton on his latest pole: "I can't tell you how hard that was today, yes, we have a great car but we have to drive the nuts off of it. I have been digging and digging and digging to find that extra time. I did the three laps to get a stab at beating his time and that last lap got better and better."

17:38 Verstappen on his P3: "I think the whole weekend with the new track and new tarmac makes it hard to bring the tyres into the window. It was very difficult to get the front and rear tyres to match but we weren't too far behind."

17:35 Verstappen also deserves a nod for putting the pressure on the Mercedes duo once again but he will start tomorrow's race from a familiar P3 spot. Leclerc joins him on the second row with Perez in fifth and Albon sixth.

17:34 Now that was a fun qualifying session as pole position was traded between Bottas and Hamilton on numerous occasions in Q3. Bottas had topped every practice plus Q1 and Q2 but it counts for little as Hamilton bags his 97th career F1 pole.

17:31 Yes he can - Hamilton bags pole position for the Portuguese GP with a 1m16.652s. Wow!

17:31 Verstappen, on the softs, goes second with a 1m16.904s - can Hamilton respond?

17:30 Bottas retains that advantage through the second sector and gets the lap completed to produce a 1m16.754s to retake provisional pole!

17:29 Can Bottas respond? He is two-tenths up against Hamilton in the first sector...

17:29 Those medium tyres work out for Hamilton as he takes provisional pole with a 1m16.934s! Impressive!

17:27 Hamilton starts his second and final run on the medium tyres. That's different but it also looks like Bottas will do the same having a peek into his garage.

17:26 No sign of Ricciardo yet as Renault are replacing his rear wing. With four minutes to go in this session it looks unlikely he'll get a chance to set a lap time.

17:25 First runs done and behind the front three Leclerc is fourth ahead of Perez and Sainz with Albon in seventh.

17:24 Here comes Verstappen who puts in a 1m17.107s to go third fastest. He needs to find 0.121s to overhaul the deficit to Bottas who remains on provisional pole position.

17:23 Albon, on the mediums, slots into third, but then Leclerc pushes him back a spot to take third for himself with a 1m17.456s.

17:21 ...Bottas duly produces a 1m16.986s to take provisional pole with Hamilton in second thanks to a 1m17.033s.

17:20 First timed laps coming up, Bottas has looked strong all weekend and is leading Hamilton in the initial splits...

17:19 Quick reminder of the top 10 contenders: Bottas, Hamilton, Verstappen, Perez, Sainz, Norris, Leclerc, Albon, Gasly and Ricciardo.

17:18 The Renault mechanics are busy at work checking over Ricciardo's car after his spin, trip through the gravel and brush with the barrier. They don't have long - Q3 is already underway!

17:17 An incident involving Gasly and Perez at Turn 13 will be investigated after the session. We're yet to see exactly what happened but it is safe to assume it was a classic case of backing up at the end of the lap when looking for a space to start a timed effort.

17:14 Stroll is told over his Racing Point team radio the wind picked up during that session which could explain the lack of lap time improvements on the final runs.

17:13 Ricciardo will consider himself lucky in all of that as he keeps hold of P10 and the final Q3 spot. Out in Q2: P11 Ocon, P12 Stroll, P13 Kvyat, P14 Russell and P15 Vettel.

17:12 Ricciardo does grab attention but not how he planned to. He loses grip at Turn 11, going wide around his Renault team-mate, and spins into the gravel. He nudges the barrier with the rear of his car but is able to get going again.

17:11 Verstappen improves with a 1m17.038s to stay P3, Russell also improves with a 1m17.788s to move up to P14 but not a lot else is catching the eye on the timing screen.

17:09 Ocon, currently P11, is not having the best of laps so it looks like he is in trouble. He duly stays P11.

17:08 Or not, as both Mercedes drivers head out on the softs. More a show of caution than anything serious, you'd imagine.

17:07 Time for the final Q2 runs, Vettel and Leclerc are still on the yellow-walled mediums, while the Mercedes pair have a breather confident of making Q3 with their current times.

17:05 Ferrari's tactics to put Vettel on the mediums in this session is a bit of a head-scratcher. He's currently P14 and half a second off making the top 10.

17:03 "I still have no grip," Verstappen reports on his Red Bull radio.

17:02 Verstappen on the soft tyres goes third fastest with a 1m17.096s - some 0.630s off Bottas.

17:01 TV replays catch Hamilton getting held up by Vettel in front of him on his first flying lap. The Mercedes driver is putting him some strong sector times on his second effort and produces a 1m16.824s to go P2.

17:00 Bottas leads by 0.663s from Perez with Norris in third and Verstappen in fourth. Quick reminder that Bottas is on the medium, and slower, tyres compared to those three.

16:59 In the early flying laps of Q2 Bottas is fastest with a 1m16.466s, but like in Q1 Hamilton has a slow first effort of 1m22.923s which leaves him way down the order.

16:56 A handful of drivers are out on the medium tyres for this session: Hamilton, Bottas, Vettel and Leclerc so far.

16:55 Q2 is go! Time to decide who will contest the top 10 shootout.

16:54