Formula One heads to the Red Bull Ring for round 11 of the 2024 season as Spielberg hosts the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend.
Max Verstappen won for the third time in four races to win last time out in Spain, holding off a late charge from Lando Norris to extend his lead in the F1 world championship standings. He now leads Norris, up to second ahead of Charles Leclerc, by 69 points.
Norris was frustrated with second place in a quick McLaren car in Barcelona, while Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton picked up his first podium of the season with a third-place finish.
Austria will host the third sprint race of the season this weekend. Verstappen won both races last year and is a four-time winner of Red Bull’s home race.
Follow live updates from the Austrian Grand Prix with The Independent
F1 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX – LATEST UPDATES
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Sprint qualifying in Austria is at 3:30pm (BST)
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Max Verstappen fastest in first practice; Piastri 2nd; Leclerc 3rd
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RED FLAG! Verstappen stops on track in practice
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Verstappen leads the world championship by 69 points after 10 races
What are the start times this weekend in Austria?
13:37 , Kieran Jackson
(All times BST)
Friday 28 June
Saturday 29 June
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Sprint race: 11am
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Qualifying: 3pm
Sunday 30 June
Max Verstappen fires back at British Grand Prix chief: ‘It’s not my fault’
13:08 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen insists the promoters of the British Grand Prix need to “look at themselves” and not blame Red Bull for the slow uptake of tickets to this year’s race at Silverstone.
Verstappen won last year’s race – his first British GP triumph – and in total won 19 out of 22 grands prix in 2023, a record amount.
Silverstone managing director Stuart Pringle stated last week that Red Bull’s ultra-domination in 2023 has contributed to tickets not yet selling out for this year’s event on 5-7 July.
Max Verstappen fires back at British Grand Prix chief: ‘It’s not my fault’
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella:
12:56 , Kieran Jackson
“Exciting time for McLaren, many cars at the front and we’re one of those!
“Mercedes seem to be in great shape this morning!”
FP1 RESULTS IN FULL:
12:48 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen fastest!
12:34 , Kieran Jackson
After his mechanical issue, Max Verstappen still sets the quickest time on the meidums right at the end!
The Dutchman goes 0.276 secs quicker than Oscar Piastri (hards) in second with a 1:05:685, with Charles Leclerc (softs) a tenth further back and Carlos Sainz (softs) 0.443 secs off Verstappen.
Lewis Hamilton, in fifth, did not even run the soft tyres in the end!
6-10: Ocon, Stroll, Russell, Tsunoda, Alonso
Norris down in P13 after his error.
Lando Norris on the gravel!
12:30 , Kieran Jackson
The McLaren goes wide at turn 4 on a flying lap!
All fine, but a miscalculation from Norris!
Times tumbling now…
Lewis Hamilton fastest on hards!
12:21 , Kieran Jackson
Hamilton now back on top as Mercedes continue to dominate!
His table-topping time of 1:06:254 is a tenth quicker than Russell.
3-10: Verstappen, Perez, Norris, Leclerc, Sainz, Magnussen, Piastri, Ocon
10 to go. Most of the pack will switch to softs now…
Tsunoda almost crashes into Albon!
12:11 , Kieran Jackson
“F*** that was so scary, Albon, so dangerous!”
It was close!
Max Verstappen back out on track!
12:09 , Kieran Jackson
Well, I was wrong!
Verstappen straight back out on track! Looks like the problem is rectified…
Session resumes!
12:07 , Kieran Jackson
Verstappen’s Red Bull is safely in the garage – but I doubt he’ll be back out in this session!
Cars back out on track for the remaining 23 minutes…
12:05 , Kieran Jackson
“I only changed the high-speed diff,” he says on team radio.
But that wouldn’t be an engine issue!
His car is now being rolled to the pit lane access gate by the marshals!
Problems at Red Bull!
RED FLAG!
12:04 , Kieran Jackson
Wow.
Max Verstappen has stopped out on track!
“Engine fault!”
Red flag is out – Verstappen has turned the car off on the start-finish straight and his Red Bull is just rolling down the hill!
George Russell now quickest!
11:49 , Kieran Jackson
The younger Brit goes quicker than his team-mate on the hards with a 1:06:386, 0.006 secs quicker than Hamilton.
Verstappen now up to P3, two-tenths down, with Perez P4.
A bit of traffic out on track – but no particular flashpoints so far!
Some key changes in Austria!
11:43 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton fastest on hard tyres!
11:40 , Kieran Jackson
After 10 minutes, it’s a Mercedes one-two – with Lewis Hamilton setting a time of 1:06:925, 0.088 secs quicker than team-mate George Russell! And that’s on hard tyres, with Sergio Perez in fourth on mediums.
Lando Norris is third, also on hards, with Oscar Piastri fifth and Max Verstappen sixth – within half-a-second of Hamilton.
7-10: Gasly, Leclerc, Albon, Hulkenberg
FP1 underway!
11:31 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen getting straight on with it as he leads a queue of cars out onto the track!
Verstappen is a four-time winner of this race and is the heavy favourite again this weekend, given his three wins from the last four races.
F1 practice at Austrian Grand Prix!
11:28 , Kieran Jackson
So a crucial one hour of practice this morning at the Red Bull Ring ahead of sprint qualifying later on!
It’s the shortest circuit on the calendar so there should be plenty of laps in Spielberg in the next hour!
Who will set the early benchmark?
Daniel Ricciardo on his future:
11:18 , Kieran Jackson
Look who’s back in the paddock!
11:10 , Kieran Jackson
For just the third time this season, Jos Verstappen is back in the paddock!
George Russell on Mercedes’ resurgence
11:01 , Kieran Jackson
“I don’t want him to continue this form for too much longer” 😅
George is itching to join Lando in the fight at the front! 👊 pic.twitter.com/vY5tt2a1Ru
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 27, 2024
Mercedes told no criminal offence committed over Lewis Hamilton ‘sabotage’ email
10:56 , Kieran Jackson
Mercedes have been told no criminal offences were committed after the British-based Formula One team called on police to investigate an anonymous email which claimed Lewis Hamilton’s car was being “sabotaged”.
Speaking at the recent Spanish Grand Prix, team principal Toto Wolff vowed to go “full force” in response to the correspondence – said to be sent by a disgruntled Mercedes staff member – titled “a potential death warrant for Lewis”.
The email, addressed to Wolff, F1 boss Stefano Domenicali, FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem, as well as other major players in the paddock, arrived on June 10, a day after the Canadian Grand Prix – a race where Hamilton was overtaken by team-mate George Russell on the penultimate lap.
Mercedes reported the note to authorities 48 hours later.
Full story below:
Mercedes told no criminal offence committed over Lewis Hamilton ‘sabotage’ email
And here are the Constructors’ Standings before this weekend:
10:42 , Kieran Jackson
1. Red Bull – 330 points
2. Ferrari – 270 points
3. McLaren – 237 points
4. Mercedes – 151 points
5. Aston Martin – 58 points
6. RB – 28 points
7. Alpine – 8 points
8. Haas – 7 points
9. Williams – 2 points
10. Sauber – 0 points
Max Verstappen insists he will remain at Red Bull next season
10:26 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen has dealt a major blow to Mercedes’ hopes of capturing his signature after he insisted he will remain at Red Bull next season.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has called Verstappen his primary target to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton, while the Austrian’s co-shareholder, and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Ola Kallenius, this week said Verstappen “would look good in silver”.
But asked directly if he will be staying put next year, Verstappen – under contract with Red Bull until 2028 – said: “OK, yes. And that’s what I’ve already said. We’re working on next year’s car. When you’re very focused on that it means that you’re also driving for the team.”
Full quotes below:
Max Verstappen insists he will remain at Red Bull next season
A whole raft of upgrades this weekend in Spielberg!
10:15 , Kieran Jackson
Here are the Driver Standings heading into Austria!
10:10 , Kieran Jackson
1. Max Verstappen – 219 points
2. Lando Norris – 150 points
3. Charles Leclerc – 148 points
4. Carlos Sainz – 116 points
5. Sergio Perez – 111 points
6. Oscar Piastri – 87 points
7. George Russell – 81 points
8. Lewis Hamilton – 70 points
9. Fernando Alonso – 41 points
10. Yuki Tsunoda – 19 points
11. Lance Stroll – 17 points
12. Daniel Ricciardo – 9 points
13. Oliver Bearman – 6 points
14. Nico Hulkenberg – 6 points
15. Pierre Gasly – 5 points
16. Esteban Ocon – 3 points
17. Alex Albon – 2 points
18. Kevin Magnussen – 1 point
19. Zhou Guanyu – 0 points
20. Valtteri Bottas – 0 points
21. Logan Sargeant – 0 points
What are the start times this weekend in Austria?
10:09 , Kieran Jackson
(All times BST)
Friday 28 June
Saturday 29 June
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Sprint race: 11am
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Qualifying: 3pm
Sunday 30 June
F1 Austrian Grand Prix LIVE!
10:08 , Kieran Jackson
Formula One heads to the Red Bull Ring for round 11 of the 2024 season as Spielberg hosts the Austrian Grand Prix this weekend.
Max Verstappen won for the third time in four races to win last time out in Spain, holding off a late charge from Lando Norris to extend his lead in the F1 world championship standings. He now leads Norris, up to second ahead of Charles Leclerc, by 69 points.
Norris was frustrated with second place in a quick McLaren car in Barcelona, while Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton picked up his first podium of the season with a third-place finish.
Austria will host the third sprint race of the season this weekend. Verstappen won both races last year and is a four-time winner of Red Bull’s home race.
