1 Austrian GP sprint race LIVE!
The exciting sprint format returns to Formula One at the Austrian Grand Prix this afternoon. Max Verstappen is on pole position for the hectic 24-lap battle that will decide the final grid order for tomorrow’s race at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg.
Red Bull’s defending world champion snatched back top billing from Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc in dramatic fashion in qualifying on Friday, recording the quickest time by just 0.029 seconds. Carlos Sainz is third as he looks to build on his maiden victory at Silverstone last weekend, with George Russell fourth and Esteban Ocon in fifth position, ahead of Kevin Magnussen, Mick Schumacher and Fernando Alonso.
Lewis Hamilton begins the sprint from ninth place after both Mercedes suffered qualifying crashes, the suddenly competitive seven-time world champion apologising to his team for an error at Turn Seven that saw him smash into the barrier and the session red-flagged. Sergio Perez, meanwhile, is down in 13th after a penalty for leaving the track. Follow the sprint race in Austria live with Standard Sport below!
Live updates
It is key that Mercedes managed to salvage Hamilton’s power unit, meaning he will not incur a grid penalty.
Both Silver Arrows had their gearboxes changed, but those came out of permitted allocations.
“We have swapped Lewis to the spare chassis owing to right-hand side damage from the accident,” Mercedes said in a statement.
“Floors and wings have been repaired and/or swapped and power units have been thoroughly checked and nothing replaced.”
Both Mercedes cars back on track in FP2
FP2 has not long finished at the Red Bull Ring, with Mercedes impressively able to get both cars back on the track.
Hamilton’s W13 required a chassis change, floor and wing repairs plus power unit checks, with the seven-time world champion eventually emerging with 14 minutes remaining.
Mercedes said their team worked for three hours last night and again this morning to get the damage fixed for both drivers.
Russell was seventh quickest in the second practice session, with Hamilton running in ninth.
Hamilton and Russell both crash in qualifying
Yesterday was not a good day for Mercedes, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton leaving the team’s engineers facing a long night after both crashing during the latter stages of qualifying.
Hamilton lost the back end at Turn Seven and went over the gravel, smashing into a barrier before Russell then span out at Turn 10, careeing over the run-off area before colliding with the wall.
Russell ended up fourth on the sprint grid, but Hamilton is down in ninth just when it appeared that his fortunes were definitely changing for the better.
“I’m incredibly disappointed in myself,” said Hamilton. “I’m so sorry to the team, everyone worked so hard to put this car together and I never like to damage it, bring it back damaged.
“We were fighting for top three, I think. I don’t have an answer for it. I just lost the back end and that was that.”
Verstappen edges Leclerc to sprint race pole
Red Bull‘s Max Verstappen will start on pole position for Saturday’s sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen edged out Charles Leclerc by just 0.029 seconds in qualifying on Friday. It was Verstappen’s third pole on the bounce at the Red Bull Ring.
Ferrari‘s Carlos Sainz, who took his first Formula One win less than a week ago at Silverstone, will start third on Saturday in a race that determines the starting grid for Sunday’s grand prix.
Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell triggered a tense final two minutes of action after bringing out red flags in quick succession during the decisive final phase.
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How to watch sprint race
TV channel: In the UK, today’s sprint race will be broadcast live on Sky Sports’ dedicated F1 channel, with coverage beginning at 2:30pm BST.
Live stream: Subscribers can also watch the action unfold live online via Sky Go.
Welcome to Austrian GP sprint race LIVE coverage!
Good afternoon and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of the sprint race at the Austrian Grand Prix!
Today’s frantic, 24-lap mini-race is sure to be box-office viewing and will decide the grid positions for tomorrow’s main event at the Red Bull Ring.
Max Verstappen is back on pole position after edging the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in qualifying yesterday, with George Russell fourth despite crashing along with Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who begins down in ninth.
There was even more frustration for Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, who was retrospectively demoted down to 13th place for leaving the track without a justifiable reason.
Stay tuned for live build-up and updates from today’s sprint race, which is scheduled for a 3:30pm BST start time.
