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Live | Formula 1 2019 Austrian GP Qualifying - Can Ferrari beat Mercedes to pole?
Valtteri Bottas has recorded nine pole positions during his Formula 1 career. Two of those nine were made around the Red Bull Ring ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix. Will the Mercedes driver be able to get one over his teammate Lewis Hamilton again, or will the world championship leader bag another pole? Or will Ferrari finally show some pace? The session starts at 2pm BTS/9am EST.
What's happened so far?
The Mercedes mechanics had some work to do on Bottas' car ahead of FP1. He had an oil leak but that didn't seem to cause any major problems for him in the first session. Hamilton topped the session and was followed by Sebastian Vettel. Max Verstappen, last year's winner in Austria, spent some time at P1, but could only finish in P6.
In FP2, madness struck. The wind was catching everybody out, including the top six drivers. Bottas, Verstappen and Vettel all lost control of their cars. Bottas and Verstappen both hit the wall hard, with Vettel managing to avoid contact. It was a session for the 'number 2 drivers'. With Charles Leclerc topping the timesheet, followed by Bottas and then Pierre Gasly. McLaren again leads the midfield pack.
Once more in FP3, it was the Monegasque driver who topped the times, with Hamilton following in second. The Ferrari man had the measure over his more experienced teammate as Vettel was stuck down in fourth and unhappy with the balance of the car. Will the set-up changes work for German or will Leclerc stamp his authority on the weekend?