F1 Austrian Grand Prix LIVE: George Russell claims stunning win after Lando Norris and Max Verstappen crash

Max Verstappen followed up his sprint victory by securing pole position for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.

On Red Bull’s home turf in Spielberg, and cheered on by 40,000 travelling Dutch fans, Verstappen blew away his rivals to take top spot.

The world champion produced a scintillating lap of the shortest track on the Formula One calendar to finish 0.404 seconds clear of McLaren’s Lando Norris, with George Russell third for Mercedes. Carlos Sainz finished fourth with Lewis Hamilton fifth.

“It is a great feeling and the team has worked hard to make the car competitive,” said Verstappen after landing his fourth straight pole at the Red Bull Ring. “This is a great statement and hopefully we can show that again tomorrow in the race.”

Follow live updates from the Austrian Grand Prix with The Independent

F1 AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES

• George Russell wins after dramtic end to Austrian Grand Prix

• Fuming Lando Norris slams friend Max Verstappen for ‘ruining his race’ after dramatic collision

• CRASH! Verstappen and Norris collide in high drama (Lap 65/71)

• GREAT RACING! George Russell and Lewis Hamilton swap positions in a matter of seconds (Lap 3/71)

• START! Max Verstappen keeps the lead at the start (Lap 1/71)

• Max Verstappen started on pole position in Austria; Norris 2nd; Russell 3rd

• Verstappen won sprint race in Austria; Piastri 2nd; Norris 3rd

Max Verstappen refuses to take blame for Lando Norris crash: ‘I know what I’m doing’

16:40 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen refused to fully take the blame for the crash with Lando Norris which saw both men miss out on a race win at the Austrian Grand Prix.

The leading duo were fighting for the lead of the race, with Norris complaining twice about Verstappen moving in the braking zone as he vied for first place.

Then, on lap 64, Norris and Verstappen collided at turn 3 and both sustained punctures, allowing George Russell to come through and win the F1 race at the Red Bull Ring.

Verstappen was handed a 10-second time penalty by the stewards but still finished fifth, while Norris was unable to complete the race due to damage to his McLaren car.

Speaking afterwards, an angry Norris blamed Verstappen for “ruining his race” but Verstappen, in his response, did not take blame for the incident.

Full quotes below:

Max Verstappen refuses to take blame for Lando Norris crash: ‘I know what I’m doing’

Fuming Lando Norris slams friend Max Verstappen for ‘ruining his race’ after dramatic collision

16:29 , Kieran Jackson

Lando Norris was furious at Max Verstappen for “ruining his race” after the pair collided towards the end of a dramatic Austrian Grand Prix.

The leading duo were fighting for the lead of the race, with Norris complaining twice about Verstappen moving in the braking zone as he vied for first place.

Then, on lap 64, Norris and Verstappen collided at turn 3 and both sustained punctures, allowing George Russell to come through and win the race at the Red Bull Ring.

Verstappen was handed a 10-second time penalty by the stewards but still finished fifth, while Norris was unable to complete the race due to damage to his McLaren car.

Full quotes below:

Fuming Lando Norris slams friend Max Verstappen for ‘ruining his race’

Max Verstappen gives his reaction now:

16:13 , Kieran Jackson

“From the outside, it’s hard to see where I brake. In the past, it’s been a complaint. Now, I always move my wheel when I brake - it’s easy to say but I think the guy in the car knows what he’s doing.

On pundits thinking he was to blame, he said: “Everyone can have their opinion, I’m the one driving, best in control! From the outside, it’s easy to judge and comment.

“I felt like these divebombs... one time he went straight, one time I had to go around the sausage [kerb], the shape of the corner provides these kind of issues. It is what it is, it’s never nice to come together.

“I need to look back at how and why we touched, of course we’ll talk about it. It was just unfortunate we touched.

“This incident, this is just one thing. We look at the race, we did a lot of things wrong - strategy and pit stops. The first stint was not too bad, then it became worse and worse. We need to look into the car and see what went wrong during the race. “

Lando Norris’ reaction after that crash with Max Verstappen:

16:02 , Kieran Jackson

“I don’t know what to say... disappointed. A good race. I looked forward to a strong, fair battle but I wouldn’t say that’s what it was in the end. Mistake-free race from my side, thought I did a good job.

On Verstappen moving in the braking zone: “There’s a rule, you’re not allowed to react to another driver, three out of three - two times I avoided it, third time he ran into me.

“He was clearly slower at the end, he ruined his own race as much as he ruined mine. Nothing more I can do. Got ruined through not my fault.

“There’s rules, if the rules aren’t followed, nothing I can do about that. Do my job, go out and drive fast. From my side, just carry on doing what I’m doing. I’’m happy with my improvements from yesterday to today and onto Silverstone.

On whether he’ll talk to Verstappen: “It depends what he says. If he says he did nothing wrong, I’ll lose a lot of respect for that.

“If he admits to being a bit stupid and running into me, and being reckless, then I’ll have a small amount of respect! It’s still a tough one to take, fighting for the win. Gutred for the team.”

Max Verstappen reacts to Lando Norris crash

15:41 , Jack Rathborn

“Sure,” Verstappen says when informed he will incur a 10-second penalty. “That’s just ridiculous, you can send it left and right, what do you want me to do?”

Red Bull respond and claim that the Dutch driver was “desperately unlucky.”

George Russell reacts after winning dramatic Austrian Grand Prix

15:39 , Jack Rathborn

“It’s no secret that Max and the McLaren are a little bit out in front, but if anything happens we’re there to pick it up.

“We’re riding a bit of a wave, these last few races have been incredible.

“So proud to be back on the top step.”

George Russell reacts after winning dramatic Austrian Grand Prix

15:38 , Jack Rathborn

“It was a tough race, holding onto P3. The team has done an amazing job, you’ve got to be there to pick up the pieces and that’s what we did.

“They were going for it, I couldn’t believe how close we were, I knew it was a possibility. So proud to be back on the top step.

“We’ve made so many strides. The last few races have been incredible.”

Oscar Piastri reacts to second at Austrian Grand Prix

15:36 , Jack Rathborn

“There are a lot of ifs and maybes... That’s only my fourth podium in Formula 1.

“So close to a win, it hurts a little bit. But happy with another podium.

“It can’t help but hurt a little bit. We’ll see it as a place of good memories [at Silverstone].

“We’re in the mix. It’s a track we always enjoy as a team.”

Carlos Sainz reacts to third at Austrian Grand Prix

15:35 , Jack Rathborn

Carlos Sainz: "Quite an eventful race up front, trying to keep up with George.

“Oscar was coming really quick, P3 is a really good result.

“Happy days for F1 that there is a bit of action. Unfortunately for us we’re coming back from a couple of tough races.

“We’re trying to come back on form at Silverstone. We will keep pushing flat out to stay in the fight.”

George Russell reacts to stunning Austrian Grand Prix victory

15:31 , Jack Rathborn

It’s Russell’s second-ever F1 victory after the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

“It’s not over until it’s over,” says Russell. “Great job!”

“You got very excited there, Toto. Well done, everybody, we wouldn’t have thought this in Bahrain, well done!”

Russell wins the Austrian Grand Prix (Lap 71/71)

15:29 , Jack Rathborn

He’s done it! Russell wins the Austrian Grand Prix!

Piastri in second, Sainz in third.

Hamilton claims fourth and Verstappen reduces the damage with a hard-fought fifth.

Russell leads with Verstappen back up to fifth (Lap 69/71)

15:26 , Jack Rathborn

Verstappen has a point in his pocket for the fastest lap of the Grand Prix, he’s up to fifth.

A smile from Wolff in the garage, Mercedes are licking their lips here, what an opportunity.

It’s a 2.488 gap back to a fast Piastri, but he’s running out of time!

Into the penultimate lap... Just 19 cars remain!

1-10: Russell, Piastri, Sainz, Hamilton, Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Perez, Magnussen, Ricciardo, Gasly

George Russell has a three-second lead (Lap 67/71)

15:24 , Kieran Jackson

Russell has a three-second gap to Piastri behind him - is the Brit on track for his third win in F1?!

Verstappen down in fifth, 11 seconds behind Hamilton in fourth, on soft tyres.

And Verstappen gets a 10-second penalty for the Norris collision!

1-10: Russell, Piastri, Sainz, Hamilton, Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Perez, Magnussen, Ricciardo, Gasly

Lando Norris retires (Lap 66/71)

15:22 , Kieran Jackson

Norris has too much damage - he’s out of the race!

Wow! Can you believe this?

Oscar Piastri is in second, with Carlos Sainz in third - Rusell has a 2.5 sec lead!

Lando Norris and Max Verstappen crash! (Lap 65/71)

15:21 , Kieran Jackson

UNBELIEVABLE!

Norris and Verstappen crash at turn 3 - and they both have a puncture!

They both limp to the pits - but George Russell now leads the Austrian Grand Prix! Incredible!

Verstappen drops to fifth, while Norris has actually retired! It’s done!

Norris dives down the inside again! (lap 63/71)

15:19 , Kieran Jackson

Norris goes down the inside and Verstappen goes off track but keeps the lead!

Norris: “He has to give the position back and I was ahead at the apex!”

Verstappen: “He forced me off again! He’s just dive-bombing, it’s not overtaking!”

Lando Norris still can’t get past! (Lap 61/71)

15:16 , Kieran Jackson

What a fight this is!

Norris can’t squeeze past right now, and is under investigation for track limits...

His best bet is to get ahead and try to stretch his lead by five seconds!

Norris makes it move but goes off track! (Lap 59/71)

15:15 , Kieran Jackson

Not this time!

Norris dives down the inside at turn 3 but can’t stay on track! He takes the lead but immediately gives the place back to Verstappen!

Yet he went off the track, and that could be a five-second penalty for track limits! Stewards have noted it...

Norris close but not close enough! (Lap 58/71)

15:13 , Kieran Jackson

Norris is tempted again at turn 3 - but decides against it!

Verstappen moaning about his grip with these tyres at the moment but, for now, he still has the lead!

And Norris now has a black-and-white flag for track limits! That’s trouble...

Lando Norris makes a move on Verstappen (Lap 55/71)

15:09 , Kieran Jackson

“He reacted to my move, he’s not allowed to do that!”

Norris not happy with Verstappen moving under braking at turn 3!

So close for Norris now!

Lando Norrris now just 1.2 seconds behind Max Verstappen (Lap 54/71)

15:07 , Kieran Jackson

He’s really pushing now is the McLaren driver - he’s got a second strike for track limits but now has DRS going up to turn 3!

It’s on here for the Brit!

Max Verstappen pits (lap 52/71)

15:05 , Kieran Jackson

The race leader comes in for his second pit-stop after moaning for a few laps about the state of the tyres - and Red Bull’s pit-stop is slow, 6.9 seconds!

Norris’ is only 2.9 seconds - and now the gap is less than three seconds between the leaders!

Wow! Do we have a race on now?!

George Russell pits (Lap 47/71)

15:00 , Kieran Jackson

Russell the first of the frontrunners to pit onto new hards - and drops to fifth.

And Oscar Piastri overtakes Lewis Hamilton down the inside of turn 3 for what is now third place!

Lando Norris cutting the gap to Max Verstappen (Lap 45/71)

14:57 , Kieran Jackson

Norris has cut the gap to 6.4 seconds - will Verstappen pit shortly?

3-10: Russell, Sainz, Hamilton, Piastri, Perez, Hulkenberg, Magnussen, Ricciardo

Meanwhile, Alex Albon in 14th receives a five-second penalty for, like Hamilton earlier, crossing the white line on pit-entry... cheap...

Max Verstappen: (Lap 40/71)

14:51 , Kieran Jackson

“I don’t know what’s happening, tyres are suddenly really bad.”

That being said, the stopwatch doesn’t show any slow pace! His gap to Norris still at eight seconds.

No further investigation on Verstappen-Norris incident in pit-lane (Lap 36/71)

14:46 , Kieran Jackson

The only element which put into doubt Verstappen’s race has been squashed - stewards dismiss that near-miss.

His gap to Norris is now 8.2 seconds, with Russell a further six seconds back.

Charles Leclerc pits for a third time (Lap 35/71)

14:45 , Kieran Jackson

A few laps after being told he was on for the points, 18th-placed Leclerc pits for the third time to switch back to mediums!

Jeez...

Max Verstappen: (Lap 29/71)

14:38 , Kieran Jackson

“You have to let me know when to upshift at the end of the straight.”

Seven second lead but not complete smooth sailing for Verstappen, who is managing some sort of issue with the gears.

Max Verstappen under investigation (Lap 27/71)

14:36 , Kieran Jackson

Interesting!

Norris had to brake slightly to avoid Verstappen as he left his pit box... was that an unsafe release? We shall see what the stewards make of that.

1-10: Verstappen, Norris, Russell, Sainz, Hamilton, Piastri, Perez, Hulkenberg, Magnussen, Ricciardo

Lewis Hamilton receives a penalty (Lap 25/71)

14:33 , Kieran Jackson

Five seconds for Hamilton - he did cross the white line! Not ideal...

Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso further back had a 10-second penalty for clipping Zhou Guanyu at turn 3 - mad move from the Spaniard!

Max Verstappen and Lando Norris pit (Lap 24/71)

14:32 , Kieran Jackson

0.1 seconds between the two pit stops and Verstappen comes out in second with a 6.5-second lead on Norris in third.

Oscar Piastri now leads the race! Can he hold up Verstappen, perhaps?

Lewis Hamilton pits (Lap 23/71)

14:31 , Kieran Jackson

Hamilton pits - but did he cross the pit-lane entry line? It looked like he did, he’s under investigation!

Hamilton comes out in sixth... and a lot of the frontrunners will join him here!

Lando Norris’ engineer: (Lap 20/71)

14:26 , Kieran Jackson

“The hard looks poor, this stint is important, we have two mediums, the Red Bulls don’t.”

Still, Norris six seconds behind Verstappen at the moment...

Max Verstappen continues to extend his lead (Lap 15/71)

14:23 , Kieran Jackson

Cruise control for the reigning world champion - Verstappen leads by 5.4 secs to Lando Norris in second, with the McLaren driver 3.7 seconds clear of George Russell in third.

When will the frontrunners pit onto hard tyres?!

4-10: Sainz, Hamilton, Piastri, Perez, Ocon, Gasly, Tsunoda

Leclerc, meanwhile, has just been overtaken by Albon for P18.... what a nightmare race so far for the Ferrari driver!

Carlos Sainz’s engineer:

14:16 , Kieran Jackson

“We are plan A”

What does it mean? We don’t know yet!

Oscar Piastri pulls off a brilliant move on Sergio Perez (Lap 9/71)

14:13 , Kieran Jackson

The McLaren backs himself around the outside of turn six - and makes the move stick on the Red Bull!

Piastri up to sixth.

Out in front, Verstappen has a 3.3 second lead to Norris. Not good for the prospect of a battle out front in this race...

1-10: Verstappen, Norris, Russell, Sainz, Hamilton, Piastri, Perez, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Magnussen

Carlos Sainz overtakes Lewis Hamilton (Lap 7/71)

14:11 , Kieran Jackson

Sainz gets ahead of Hamilton at turn 3 - the Ferrari up to fourth!

A replay of that Lelcerc-Piastri incident: turn 1, Perez on the right of Leclerc, Piastri on the left, nothing the Monegasque could do!

Stewards not taking a look, turn one lap one incident...

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell swap positions! (Lap 3/71)

14:08 , Kieran Jackson

No team orders at Mercedes! They’re fighting for position - Hamilton surges up the inside to take third place before Russell gets him back at turn 4!

Leclerc, by the way, has dropped to P19 after a lengthy pit-stop - nightmare for the Ferrari driver!

At the front, Verstappen is out of DRS range to Norris with a margin of two seconds.

1-10: Verstappen, Norris, Russell, Hamilton, Sainz, Perez, Piastri, Hulkenberg, Ocon, Magnussen

Lights out!

14:05 , Kieran Jackson

Max Verstappen gets a super start for Red Bull and Lando Norris holds off a threat from George Russell at turn 3!

Lewis Hamilton is up two places to P4, while Charles Leclerc has lost part of his front wing - and has to pit on lap one!

I think that was a collision with Oscar Piastri...

Formation lap!

14:00 , Kieran Jackson

Like the start of the sprint race, every driver on the grid is on the medium tyres! Set to be a two-stop race for this 71-lap race...

Zhou Guanyu, starting in the pit-lane, is on the hard compound tyres!

Max Verstappen now leads the pack around the circuit for the formation lap, cheered by a crowd which over the weekend has welcomed 302,000 spectators!

A reminder of the starting grid for the Austrian Grand Prix:

13:58 , Kieran Jackson

1. Max Verstappen

2. Lando Norris

3. George Russell

4. Carlos Sainz

5. Lewis Hamilton

6. Charles Leclerc

7. Oscar Piastri

8. Sergio Perez

9. Nico Hulkenberg

10. Esteban Ocon

11. Daniel Ricciardo

12. Kevin Magnussen

13. Pierre Gasly

14. Yuki Tsunoda

15. Fernando Alonso

16. Alex Albon

17. Lance Stroll

18. Valtteri Bottas

19. Logan Sargeant

Pit lane. Zhou Guanyu

F1 Austrian Grand Prix LIVE!

13:54 , Kieran Jackson

We’re just five minutes away from lights out at the Red Bull Ring!

It’s a warm day in the Styrian mountains so tyre degradation will be a key factor in this 71-lap race - can Lando Norris steal a march on Max Verstappen at the start?

Max Verstappen ahead of this race:

13:51 , Kieran Jackson

“It helps that there is only one McLaren next to me now but they will try to do it again, they know they are quite good on tyres. I still expect them to be there in the race. I hope I can find the same balance of the car because that will help a lot on the tyres as well.

“It will be who can look after the tyres the best because in this heat as well the tyres are going to deg[radation] and you need to really take care of that.”

National anthem time!

13:46 , Kieran Jackson

To be performed by Germany’s famous composer Hans Zimmer!

George Russell starts P3:

13:43 , Kieran Jackson

Lando Norris on his boss at McLaren

13:37 , Kieran Jackson

Some photos from the Drivers Parade earlier!

13:31 , Kieran Jackson

And look at the support from the Orange Army for Max Verstappen!

Driver Standings after the sprint race yesterday:

13:23 , Kieran Jackson

1. Max Verstappen - 227 points

2. Lando Norris - 156 points

3. Charles Leclerc - 150 points

4. Carlos Sainz - 120 points

5. Sergio Perez - 112 points

6. Oscar Piastri - 94 points

7. George Russell - 86 points

8. Lewis Hamilton - 73 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

Starting grid for the Austrian Grand Prix:

13:01 , Kieran Jackson

1. Max Verstappen

2. Lando Norris

3. George Russell

4. Carlos Sainz

5. Lewis Hamilton

6. Charles Leclerc

7. Oscar Piastri

8. Sergio Perez

9. Nico Hulkenberg

10. Esteban Ocon

11. Daniel Ricciardo

12. Kevin Magnussen

13. Pierre Gasly

14. Yuki Tsunoda

15. Fernando Alonso

16. Alex Albon

17. Lance Stroll

18. Valtteri Bottas

19. Logan Sargeant

20. Zhou Guanyu

One will have been happier than the other after last night’s contentious match....

12:53 , Kieran Jackson

Lando Norris reflects on Max Verstappen masterclass after Austria qualifying

12:42 , Kieran Jackson

Lando Norris said Max Verstappen was “in a league of his own” after the Red Bull driver obliterated his rivals to take pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix.

On Red Bull’s home turf in Spielberg, and cheered on by 40,000 travelling Dutch fans, Verstappen produced a scintillating lap of the shortest track on the Formula One calendar to finish an eye-watering 0.404 seconds clear of McLaren’s Norris, with George Russell third for Mercedes, half-a-second back. Carlos Sainz took fourth, one place ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

The build-up to the 11th round has been dominated by Jos Verstappen’s row with Christian Horner following the former’s withdrawal from a parade of the sport’s legends ahead of Sunday’s 71-lap race.

Full report below:

Lando Norris reflects on Max Verstappen masterclass after Austria qualifying

Christian Horner has said the following about Toto Wolff’s pursuit of Max Verstappen

12:29 , Kieran Jackson

Asked why Wolff continues to speak about Verstappen, Horner replied: “That’s a question you would have to ask Toto. Max was pretty resolute in what he said in this conference [on Thursday].

“He’s always been absolutely consistent with that with the team. I think it’s purely a tactic of distraction.

“If he does want a Verstappen for next year then I guess Jos is potentially available.”

Austrian Grand Prix race odds!

12:15 , Kieran Jackson

Austrian GP winner

• Max Verstappen - 1/6

• Lando Norris - 9/2

• George Russell - 20/1

• Oscar Piastri - 28/1

• Carlos Sainz - 40/1

• Lewis Hamilton - 40/1

• Charles Leclerc - 66/1

• Sergio Perez - 100/1

• Nico Hulkenberg - 500/1

• Esteban Ocon - 1000/1

• Daniel Ricciardo - 1500/1

• Kevin Magnussen - 1500/1

• Pierre Gasly - 1500/1

• Fernando Alonso - 2000/1

• Lance Stroll - 2000/1

• Yuki Tsunoda - 2000/1

• Alex Albon - 2500/1

• Valterri Bottas - 3000/1

• Guanyu Zhou - 4000/1

• Logan Sargeant - 4000/1

Odds provided by BonusCodeBets

Starting grid for the Austrian Grand Prix:

12:14 , Kieran Jackson

1. Max Verstappen

2. Lando Norris

3. George Russell

4. Carlos Sainz

5. Lewis Hamilton

6. Charles Leclerc

7. Oscar Piastri

8. Sergio Perez

9. Nico Hulkenberg

10. Esteban Ocon

11. Daniel Ricciardo

12. Kevin Magnussen

13. Pierre Gasly

14. Yuki Tsunoda

15. Fernando Alonso

16. Alex Albon

17. Lance Stroll

18. Valtteri Bottas

19. Logan Sargeant

20. Zhou Guanyu

Mercedes told no criminal offence committed over Lewis Hamilton ‘sabotage’ email

12:02 , 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

Red Bull boss Christian Horner on Daniel Ricciardo’s future:

11:43 , Kieran Jackson

“I think anything regarding drivers are going to be dealt with in-house before we talk to the media about it,” he said.

“They’re all Red Bull racing drivers and every Red Bull driver knows that there’s always a pressure, that there’s always a scrutiny but Daniel is in the seat and it’s down to him to make the most of that and then it’s always, as we see in Formula 1, things are always fluid.”

Max Verstappen fires back at British Grand Prix chief: ‘It’s not my fault’

11:28 , 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’

George Russell after qualifying third:

11:11 , Kieran Jackson

“The car feels really good, we’ve got a fight on our hands with Ferrari, McLaren bit ahead, but good progress with us.

“Happy to be in P3, we compromised qualifying a little bit to help the race tomorrow, McLaren have the edge of us. Third race in a row for top three in qualifying.

“Verstappen and Norris were pretty dicey in the sprint race so hopefully I can sneak through on the inside but I think our race will be behind us unfortunately.”

What time does the F1 start today?

11:06 , Kieran Jackson

(All times BST)

Sunday 30 June

• Race: 2pm

How can I watch it online and on TV?

The Austrian Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom - and ESPN in the United States. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 12:30pm (BST).

Highlights in the UK will be aired on free-to-air Channel 4; at 6:30pm (BST) on Sunday evening for the race.

Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action in Spielberg on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.

Constructors’ Championship after the sprint race:

10:56 , Kieran Jackson

1. Red Bull - 339 points

2. Ferrari - 276 points

3. McLaren - 250 points

4. Mercedes - 159 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

Oscar Piastri on deleted Q3 lap time:

10:46 , Kieran Jackson

“For me, it’s embarrassing. We do all this work for track limits and I didn’t even go off the track, probably my best turn 6 and it gets deleted. I don’t know why they’ve spent millions on the final two corners and there’s still somewhere you can go off with track limits.

“I was right on the limit of the track, we’ve had so much effort trying to get rid of these problems, there’s no reason this corner should be an issue with track limit when you stay on the track, which I did.”

“Max looked to be on another level, we’ll try our best. We saw in the sprint the tyres were overheating quickly, makes life tough but we’ll try our best.”

Piastri now starts from P7...

Here’s where Max Verstappen was superior to Lando Norris!

10:15 , Kieran Jackson

The Red Bull driver beat his man by over four-tenths of a second in qualifying!

Driver Standings after the sprint race yesterday:

10:11 , Kieran Jackson

1. Max Verstappen - 227 points

2. Lando Norris - 156 points

3. Charles Leclerc - 150 points

4. Carlos Sainz - 120 points

5. Sergio Perez - 112 points

6. Oscar Piastri - 94 points

7. George Russell - 86 points

8. Lewis Hamilton - 73 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

Start time today for Austrian Grand Prix:

10:07 , Kieran Jackson

(All times BST)

Sunday 30 June

• Race: 2pm

How can I watch it online and on TV?

The Austrian Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the United Kingdom - and ESPN in the United States. Sky’s coverage of Sunday’s race starts at 12:30pm (BST).

Highlights in the UK will be aired on free-to-air Channel 4; at 6:30pm (BST) on Sunday evening for the race.

Sky Sports subscribers can watch all the action in Spielberg on the Sky Go app. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.

F1 Austrian Grand Prix LIVE:

10:06 , Kieran Jackson

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring!

It’s been a weekend dominated by one man so far: Max Verstappen won the sprint race after qualifying on pole and will start today’s grand prix from the front too after a cracking final lap in Q3, beating Lando Norris in second by four-tenths.

Norris will be eyeing a quick start though, with George Russell in third and Carlos Sainz in fourth - as four different teams make up the top-four places.

Stay right here for all the build-up - lights out is at 2pm! (BST)

Lando Norris reflects on Max Verstappen masterclass after Austria qualifying

Saturday 29 June 2024 18:05 , Kieran Jackson

Lando Norris said Max Verstappen was “in a league of his own” after the Red Bull driver obliterated his rivals to take pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix.

On Red Bull’s home turf in Spielberg, and cheered on by 40,000 travelling Dutch fans, Verstappen produced a scintillating lap of the shortest track on the Formula One calendar to finish an eye-watering 0.404 seconds clear of McLaren’s Norris, with George Russell third for Mercedes, half-a-second back. Carlos Sainz took fourth, one place ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

The build-up to the 11th round has been dominated by Jos Verstappen’s row with Christian Horner following the former’s withdrawal from a parade of the sport’s legends ahead of Sunday’s 71-lap race.

Full report below:

Lando Norris reflects on Max Verstappen masterclass after Austria qualifying

Lewis Hamilton optimistic ahead of tomorrow’s grand prix

Saturday 29 June 2024 17:44 , Kieran Jackson

Here’s how close Piastri was!

Saturday 29 June 2024 17:17 , Kieran Jackson

Oscar Piastri on deleted lap time:

Saturday 29 June 2024 17:04 , Kieran Jackson

“For me, it’s embarrassing. We do all this work for track limits and I didn’t even go off the track, probably my best turn 6 and it gets deleted. I don’t know why they’ve spent millions on the final two corners and there’s still somewhere you can go off with track limits.

“I was right on the limit of the track, we’ve had so much effort trying to get rid of these problems, there’s no reason this corner should be an issue with track limit when you stay on the track, which I did.”

“Max looked to be on another level, we’ll try our best. We saw in the sprint the tyres were overheating quickly, makes life tough but we’ll try our best.”

Here’s Charles Leclerc’s moment at the end of Q3!

Saturday 29 June 2024 16:55 , Kieran Jackson

George Russell after qualifying third:

Saturday 29 June 2024 16:43 , Kieran Jackson

“The car feels really good, we’ve got a fight on our hands with Ferrari, McLaren bit ahead, but good progress with us.

“Happy to be in P3, we compromised qualifying a little bit to help the race tomorrow, McLaren have the edge of us. Third race in a row for top three in qualifying.

“Verstappen and Norris were pretty dicey in the sprint race so hopefully I can sneak through on the inside but I think our race will be behind us unfortunately.”

Lando Norris after qualifying second:

Saturday 29 June 2024 16:31 , Kieran Jackson

“It’s as much as we could do today, Max in a league of his own today. It’s good enough, I’ll take it.

“When you look at the pace today, we’re going to have to give it a lot and something to go our way. I’ll do a better job this morning for sure, usually we’re better in the races than for qualifying.”

Max Verstappen on pole:

Saturday 29 June 2024 16:22 , Kieran Jackson

“The car felt a lot better today, every run was on point, it was very good out there.

“It’s been a while since we were on pole, the car have been working really hard to make the car more competitive, hopefully we can have a good race.

“It’s always nice to race, hopefully will be a good battle tomorrow but very happy with how the car was performing today.”

TOP-10 IN AUSTRIAN GP QUALIFYING:

Saturday 29 June 2024 16:11 , Kieran Jackson

1. Max Verstappen

2. Lando Norris

3. George Russell

4. Carlos Sainz

5. Lewis Hamilton

6. Charles Leclerc

7. Oscar Piastri

8. Sergio Perez

9. Nico Hulkenberg

10. Esteban Ocon

Oscar Piastri loses third place!

Saturday 29 June 2024 16:04 , Kieran Jackson

Track limits violation from Oscar Piastri and he loses third place!

That puts Russell up to third and Piastri drops to seventh!

Max Verstappen on pole for the Austrian Grand Prix!

Saturday 29 June 2024 16:03 , Kieran Jackson

Verstappen goes even quicker and is on pole position by four-tenths to Lando Norris, who pips Oscar Piastri!

4-10: Russell, Sainz, Hamilton, Leclerc, Perez, Hulkenberg, Ocon

Leclerc had a pretty big off on his final lap and heads into the gravel at turn six!

Verstappen: “On fire in qualifying, car was really strong!”

Lewis Hamilton under investigation after the session

Saturday 29 June 2024 15:58 , Kieran Jackson

The Mercedes driver ran over a car jack as he left the garage prior to his first lap - and the Brit has been noted for an unsafe release.

Anyway, three minutes to go - fresh tyres everywhere ahead of the final laps of quaifying!

Max Verstappen quickest out of first set of laps!

Saturday 29 June 2024 15:55 , Kieran Jackson

It’ll take some beating this! Verstappen top with a 1:04:426, three-tenths quicker than Lando Norris in second and over half-a-second faster than George Russell in third!

4-10: Leclerc, Piastri, Hamilton, Sainz, Perez, Ocon, Hulkenberg

5:00 to go...

Q3 underway!

Saturday 29 June 2024 15:51 , Kieran Jackson

Here we go then!

10 drivers involved: Verstappen, Perez, Norris, Piastri, Sainz, Leclerc, Hamilton, Russell, Hulkenberg, Ocon

Verstappen the huge favourite - can anyone topple him?!

Gravel at turn six resulting in delay to Q3!

Saturday 29 June 2024 15:46 , Kieran Jackson

The marshals just using a hoover to blow away the gravel off turn six - that was caused by Pierre Gasly going wide!

Daniel Ricciardo out in Q2!

Saturday 29 June 2024 15:43 , Kieran Jackson

So close but so far for Ricciardo - he’s out in P11 and misses out on Q3 by 0.010 seconds!

Bottom-five and out in Q2 (11-15): Ricciardo, Magnussen, Gasly, Tsunoda, Alonso

Hulkenberg and Ocon sneak through to Q3...

Top-3: Verstappen, Sainz, Russell

Max Verstappen up top by some distance!

Saturday 29 June 2024 15:37 , Kieran Jackson

Verstappen sets the stopwatch alight with a 1:04:557, 0.439 secs ahead of Carlos Sainz in second!

Hamilton in a slight spot of bother in P8...

Current bottom-five (11-15): Gasly, Tsunoda, Hulkenberg, Magnussen, Alonso

Three minutes to go...

Charles Leclerc top early on in Q2!

Saturday 29 June 2024 15:30 , Kieran Jackson

Only four cars out there from the green light but that includes both Ferraris - and Charles Leclerc is first with a 1:05:532, while Ocon and Gasly separate Leclerc from his team-mate Carlos Sainz.

Sainz: “I picked up a lot of bouncing on that lap.”

Q2 underway!

Saturday 29 June 2024 15:27 , Kieran Jackson

So we’ve lost both Williams cars, both Sauber cars and the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll as we head into the second part of qualifying.

You feel like there’s work to do here for both Mercedes cars as well as the Red Bull of Sergio Perez... but we shall see!

Lance Stroll out!

Saturday 29 June 2024 15:20 , Kieran Jackson

Fernando Alonso escapes by the skin of his teeth but his team-mate Lance Stroll doesn’t - he’s out!

Bottom-five and out in Q1 (16-20): Albon, Stroll, Bottas, Sargeant, Zhou

Hamilton ended up in P7, on new tyres; “Ah, I’m just slow mate.”

Lewis Hamilton in trouble!

Saturday 29 June 2024 15:15 , Kieran Jackson

Much like sprint qualifying yesterday, Hamilton in trouble in the first stage of qualifying!

He is now P16 - 0.017 secs off Yuki Tsunoda in 15th.

Current bottom-five (16-20): Hamilton, Stroll, Hulkenberg, Sargeant, Zhou

Hamilton has only done one lap, whereas most of the grid have done two. He’ll have to use their new batch of soft tyres..

George Russell goes fastest!

Saturday 29 June 2024 15:10 , Kieran Jackson

Mercedes impressing early on!

Russell, who qualified fourth for the sprint, goes top halfway through Q1 with a time of 1:05:614, two tenths clear of Charles Leclerc in second.

As for Lewis Hamilton? P7

Current bottom-five (16-20): Bottas, Sargeant, Alonso, Gasly, Stroll

Max Verstappen down in P6

Saturday 29 June 2024 15:07 , Kieran Jackson

Pole-sitter in sprint qualifying and the winner of the sprint race earlier, but not top dog after the first laps in Q1.

Verstappen down in sixth, 0.153 secs off Leclerc up top.

Charles Leclerc quickest out of early laps!

Saturday 29 June 2024 15:05 , Kieran Jackson

Leclerc first, 0.009 secs ahead of Norris, with Piastri P3 and Tsunoda P4!

Around six cars yet to set a lap - both Mercedes cars have opted not to leave the garage early on.

Q1 underway!

Saturday 29 June 2024 15:02 , Kieran Jackson

We’re underway with the first qualifying session under the summer sun in the Styrian mountains!

Max Verstappen the favourite ahead of the McLarens...

Here are the Driver Standings heading into qualifying!

Saturday 29 June 2024 14:53 , Kieran Jackson

1. Max Verstappen - 227 points

2. Lando Norris - 156 points

3. Charles Leclerc - 150 points

4. Carlos Sainz - 120 points

5. Sergio Perez - 112 points

6. Oscar Piastri - 94 points

7. George Russell - 86 points

8. Lewis Hamilton - 73 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

Red Bull boss Christian Horner on Daniel Ricciardo’s future:

Saturday 29 June 2024 14:47 , Kieran Jackson

“I think anything regarding drivers are going to be dealt with in-house before we talk to the media about it,” he said.

“They’re all Red Bull racing drivers and every Red Bull driver knows that there’s always a pressure, that there’s always a scrutiny but Daniel is in the seat and it’s down to him to make the most of that and then it’s always, as we see in Formula 1, things are always fluid.”

Can Ferrari improve in qualifying?

Saturday 29 June 2024 14:39 , Kieran Jackson

And here are the Constructors’ Standings after the sprint race:

Saturday 29 June 2024 14:27 , Kieran Jackson

1. Red Bull - 339 points

2. Ferrari - 276 points

3. McLaren - 250 points

4. Mercedes - 159 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

Mercedes told no criminal offence committed over Lewis Hamilton ‘sabotage’ email

Saturday 29 June 2024 14:11 , 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

Start times this weekend in Austria:

Saturday 29 June 2024 13:58 , Kieran Jackson

(All times BST)

Saturday 29 June

• Qualifying: 3pm

Sunday 30 June

• Race: 2pm

Here are the Driver Standings heading into qualifying!

Saturday 29 June 2024 13:46 , Kieran Jackson

1. Max Verstappen - 227 points

2. Lando Norris - 156 points

3. Charles Leclerc - 150 points

4. Carlos Sainz - 120 points

5. Sergio Perez - 112 points

6. Oscar Piastri - 94 points

7. George Russell - 86 points

8. Lewis Hamilton - 73 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

Max Verstappen fires back at British Grand Prix chief: ‘It’s not my fault’

Saturday 29 June 2024 13:32 , 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’

Christian Horner has said the following about Toto Wolff’s pursuit of Max Verstappen

Saturday 29 June 2024 12:44 , Kieran Jackson

Asked why Wolff continues to speak about Verstappen, Horner replied: “That’s a question you would have to ask Toto. Max was pretty resolute in what he said in this conference [on Thursday].

“He’s always been absolutely consistent with that with the team. I think it’s purely a tactic of distraction.

“If he does want a Verstappen for next year then I guess Jos is potentially available.”

Lando Norris after finishing third:

Saturday 29 June 2024 11:57 , Kieran Jackson

“A good race between us, especially with Max at the beginning. Definitely some things I should have done better in my battle, I understand that, had a good battle trying to get past Oscar - the speed you lose in the dirty air.

“It was too difficult to get past, Max was too quick. Made the move and then left the door open like an amateur.”

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website