F1 Austrian GP live commentary and updates - qualifying
Follow along for updates from Formula 1 qualifying ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix
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Typically, nobody leaves the garage for the first couple of minutes, and now everyone wants to go out at around the same time. Norris, Hadjar, Verstappen, and Piastri are first on the road.
Q3 begins!
...and now we wait for the drivers to leave the garage.
Our Q3 contenders
Antonelli
Piastri
Norris
Russell
Hamilton
Leclerc
Hadjar
Lawson
Lindblad
Verstappen
Gasly and Bortoleto did well to get close to Verstappen's lap there - Bortoleto just a tenth off in that Audi.
Verstappen did, however, save an extra set of softs for this session after using used tyres on that lap. This brings him on parity with most of the other front runners.
Eliminated in Q2
11. Gasly
12. Bortoleto
13. Bearman
14. Hulkenberg
15. Ocon
16. Colapinto
Bearman can't reach the top 10, as there's a three-tenth gulf to overcome. Bortoleto moves up to 11th...
...and Gasly gets within 0.04s of chipping Verstappen out of the top 10, but just falls short in the final sector.
Red Bull, by giving Verstappen one run, cut it a little bit fine there...
Leclerc does not improve, which allows Hamilton to move up to fifth. Hadjar does up to seventh, as Lawson moves up to eighth and Lindblad ninth - which puts Verstappen on the cusp...
Norris posts a 1m06.897s to go third, which should be more than enough.
Russell, on used tyres, gets up to fourth on a 1m06.979s.
The off-sync Norris has headed out once more, now on used tyres, as Russell is told to "just drive" by Toto Wolff. Presumably some degree of disagreement on the radio...
Elimination zone with five minutes remaining
11. Bortoleto
12. Colapinto
13. Bearman
14. Hulkenberg
15. Ocon
16. Russell
Gasly has a snap out of the final corner but picks up sixth, ahead of the two Racing Bulls.
Antonelli, Piastri, and Russell post laps on new tyres...it's a 1m06.763s for Antonelli, a 1m06.890s for Piastri, and Russell bailed after locking up at Turn 3.
So, Antonelli from Piastri as it stands.
Verstappen goes just over a tenth faster than Norris, as Hadjar effectively matches the McLaren.
Leclerc then posts a 1m07.030s to go top for now, as Hamilton is just 0.009s behind his team-mate.
Norris wagged the tail of his car out of the final corner, and a 1m07.321s is solid enough for a first effort.
Verstappen and Hadjar are about to start laps, as the circuit becomes a little bit more congested.
Norris suffered a bit of damage to the floor, but he's first onto the track. No other takers, so he's got the track to himself for his opening lap on used softs.
Q2 underway
Right, there's the bottom six positions - now, the next six to decide.
Audi, Haas, and some combination of the Alpines and Racing Bulls will be in the fray to get into the top 10 - Lawson and Lindblad look like the current favourites to get into Q3, but you can't discount Gasly...
Eliminated in Q1
17. Sainz
18. Albon
19. Perez
20. Bottas
21. Alonso
22. Stroll
Lawson goes fourth! Bortoleto moves up to 12th to find some clear space, as Hulkenberg hits P15 and makes sure he's safe.
Neither Cadillac improves on their second runs, and the two Williams drivers join them in a Q1 exit as Hulkenberg drops Sainz into the bottom six.
Russell goes again and moves up to fifth.
Colapinto seemingly books his place in Q2 with ninth, while Ocon gets out of the drop zone and goes 13th.
Sainz scraps out of the drop too as he went a bit sideways at Turn 10. Albon is out, however. Hulkenberg and Bortoleto are now on the cusp.
Russell reports sliding on his lap, which he feels explains his lack of pace versus Antonelli.
Hadjar's going out again, while Verstappen is already out of the car and taking it easy.
Final runs coming up...
Elimination zone with five minutes remaining
17. Sainz
18. Perez
19. Bottas
20. Ocon
21. Alonso
22. Stroll
Perez and Bottas are within two seconds of the pace, so the American team is continuing to close in on the more established runners.
Hulkenberg doesn't improve and stays 15th, as his car went a bit loose out of the final corner.
Russell went for another lap and improves, but he's still half a second off Antonelli.
Bortoleto gets his first lap in and goes 14th, while Albon and Sainz sit either side of the cut-off - Albon 16th, Sainz 17th.
Antonelli sets a purple middle sector, purple final sector, and posts a 1m07.083s to go top.
After the first runs, it's Antonelli, Norris, Hamilton, Verstappen, Hadjar, Piastri, Leclerc, Russell, Gasly, and now Bearman in the top 10.
Piastri goes fourth, behind the Red Bulls, while Leclerc hits fifth.
Hamilton then goes second, 0.031s away from Norris' benchmark. Gasly moves up to eighth, with Colapinto ninth.
Verstappen, with only three sets of softs for this session (he had five after FP2 and used two sets in FP3) is on the road and looking to only need one run.
He posts a 1m07.407s to go top, and Hadjar is just 0.001s off his team-mate.
Norris then posts a 1m07.259s.
Russell's out earlier than the other front runners, Mercedes using the clearer track.
Hulkenberg posts a 1m08.509s, but Russell immediately brings the car into FP3's ballpark with a 1m07.811s.
Still another 0.8s to find to match his FP3 headliner.
I'm liking Cadillac's revisions to the livery to get rid of the asymmetry. It's like a monochrome Stewart, with the badge chequers instead of tartan.
Ocon opens his lap, but Perez has immediately gone quicker in the opening sector.
It's a 1m09.083s, as Perez goes 0.429s slower than the Frenchman.
Q1 begins
And here we go! The pit exit is open, and Ocon is first on scene. Bottas follows him out, with Perez in pursuit. Ocon's one of those who might be on the cusp at the close of the session, depending on whether Haas has a little bit extra over Williams.
Both Williams cars indeed stream out, followed by the Aston Martins.
10 minutes until Q1 opens for service.
Mercedes, having headlined all three practice sessions, remains the favourite - but, as mentioned, it was all very close in that final practice session. Can Ferrari, McLaren, or Red Bull spring a surprise? They'll have their work cut out to do it.
For now, Q1 is our focus. Aston Martin, Cadillac, and Williams look to be the most 'in trouble' of the teams - but traffic and Turn 3 lock-ups will play a role here.
Sergio Perez, Cadillac Racing
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
The fastest times in both FP2 and FP3 were in the 1m07.0s, so it stands to reason that we're looking at the low 1m06s for pole assuming the drivers are able to find the right level of progression through the sessions. Maybe, if someone's really rapid, we might reach the 1m05s...
It's still warm, however, at 33C ambient - so track temperatures will be pushing 50C.
Austrian GP qualifying - starting soon!
And hello again, welcome back to our live feed for the Austrian Grand Prix sessions - next up, qualifying!
It was an incredibly close-run session in FP3, with the top seven all within 0.356s. Every single little smidgen of time will matter, at least if anyone hopes of overturning Mercedes' current advantage.
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
