Mercedes lay down marker in Austria
Mercedes lay down marker in Austria
Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton hinted that the Silver Arrows' dominance of the Austrian Grand Prix is set to continue after starring in practice. Hamilton was quickest in both sessions, getting close to the lap record at the Red Bull Ring, with Valtteri Bottas in second. Sebastian Vettel's race pace was impressive, but Ferrari look to have work to do to close the gap in qualifying.
MASTERFUL MERCEDES
Since the Austrian Grand Prix's return to the Formula 1 calendar, the top step has been taken by a Mercedes driver each time... and 2018 could well be the same judging by Friday's performances.
Hamilton was fastest of all, clocking one minute 4.579 seconds, just three tenths off team-mate Bottas' pole position time of 1:04.251 from last year - which also happens to be the outright lap record!
Remarkably, Hamilton set his time on the soft tyre - the hardest tyre available this weekend - so expect that record to be demolished in Q3, should the Silver Arrows make it there safely.
Vettel managed to join the Silver Arrows in dipping below the 1min 5sec barrier, however Mercedes' performance at Paul Ricard a week ago suggests that the balance in the power stakes may have tilted back to the champions and they underlined their status as the team to beat here.
ROPEY RED BULL
Two podium finishes in four years is a pretty poor return for Red Bull at their home race.
Whether they can improve on that in 2018 remains to be seen, with Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen half a second adrift of the Mercedes in FP2.
Given how short and fast the Red Bull Ring is, five tenths of a second is an even greater deficit than it might be at another circuit.
Renault have brought an engine upgrade to Spielberg, but it appears that Mercedes new engine and aerodynamic updates are more effective at the moment.
WATCH THE KERBS!
Stoffel Vandoorne and Pierre Gasly came a cropper of the 'sausage' kerbs on the track on Friday. The McLaren's nose was snapped after running beyond track limits, while Gasly was relegated to the status of passenger after his suspension was snapped when running wide at turn nine.
Drivers gaining time beyond track limits was an issue when the track returned to F1, but expect some teams - particularly those affected today! - to cook up alternative remedies than the carbon-fibre-busting methods currently in place.
The warning will be clear to the teams, however, push your luck and your hopes could go up in smoke!
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Andretti names dream date for team's F1 debut
- 52 minutes ago
F1 Miami Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today
- 1 hour ago
Former F1 champion in surprise take over safety improvements
- 1 hour ago
F1 set for stunning 2026 RETURN to shock track
- 2 hours ago
Jos Verstappen fears Newey exit will trigger Red Bull collapse
- 3 hours ago
- 1
FIA announce Mercedes singled out for F1 inspection ahead of Miami Grand Prix
- Today 09:57
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860