The Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are favorites for first place on the grid in qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix. In the third training session in Spielberg, the Brit Russell snatched the best time from World Championship leader Antonelli from Italy shortly before the end. His lead was just 0.038 seconds. In the afternoon (4 p.m./Sky) the qualifying will be about pole position.
Behind the Silver Arrows, record world champion Lewis Hamilton took third place in a Ferrari in temperatures of around 32 degrees. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen only finished sixth in the Red Bull, while Nico Hülkenberg drove his Audi to twelfth place.
Before the eighth round of the season on Sunday (3 p.m./Sky), 19-year-old Antonelli leads the World Championship standings by 41 points over Hamilton, with Russell another nine points behind. In seventh place, Verstappen is already 101 points behind Antonelli.