Qualifying ahead of the Sprint race in Austria turned out to be a disaster for Mercedes as both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton crash.
Mercedes were looking strong during Qualifying in Spielberg. Hamilton or Russell may have been in contention for pole today, but unfortunately they both crashed out.
First it was Hamilton, who lost control and hit the wall, damaging his front right suspension. After a brief pause to the session due to a red flag, it resumed only for Russell to crash out and damage the rear of his W13.
It turned out to be a nightmare of a session for the Brackley based outfit. Russell will start the race P5, and Hamilton will start P10. The former however, may be facing further penalties for his actions following the crash.
The 24-year old’s crash brought out the red flag as expected, but he got out of his car, checked the damage and then went across the track on foot. This is something FIA announced they’ll investigate and he may be given penalties or reprimands for the same.
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Disappointing outing in Austria for Hamilton and George Russell
Russell, Hamilton and the entire Mercedes outfit looked like they are on the right track after a strong display in Silverstone. Hamilton showed that the W13 has the pace to challenge the Ferraris and Red Bull, and team boss Toto Wolff would have hoped for a high grid start for both drivers this weekend.
It wasn’t meant to be, as the crashes mean they will start further back than expected. Russell put up a good enough time that sees him P5 in the lap timing charts. Hamilton meanwhile, could not as good a lap in and will line up P10 in the Sprint race.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen showed by Spielberg is one of his favorite tracks once again, as he clinched pole position. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz took P2 and P3.
Verstappen currently leads the Drivers’ Championship standings with 181 points to his name. His teammate Sergio Perez is behind him, with 147 points. Leclerc, who was runaway leader at one stage this campaign is now nine points behind Perez.
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