Austrian Grand Prix: Valtteri Bottas on prime as Mercedes DOMINATES qualifying on the Pink Bull Ring

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Finnish ace Valtteri Bottas was the category of the sector in qualifying for the primary Components 1 Grand Prix of the COVID-19-delayed 2020 season, as he pipped teammate Lewis Hamilton in a dominant session for Mercedes in Austria.

The reigning constructors’ world champions had been a category above the remainder of the sector, with Bottas and Hamilton registering qualifying lap instances greater than half a second quicker than their nearest challenger, Pink Bull’s Max Verstappen.

The Mercedes crew sported their new all-black livery to help anti-racism initiatives, whereas Hamilton sported a particular “Black Lives Matter” helmet because the crew adopted up on their headline-making apparel with an equally notable efficiency on the observe.

Hamilton topped the timesheets all through free apply, however Bottas chipped away at his teammate’s benefit to finally surpass him throughout qualifying.

The Finn’s lap of 1:02.939 noticed him head the grid for Sunday’s 2020 curtain-raiser, with Hamilton simply 12 1000’s of a second behind.

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Verstappen headed the remainder of the sector, which noticed the rest of the 10-car Q3 discipline coated by lower than eight tenths of a second, hinting at a close-fought race for the midfield positions.

However whereas the midfield entries could also be steeling themselves for a doable shot at a podium, the Ferrari crew had been left licking their wounds after a nightmare session. 

Former world champion Sebastian Vettel – who Ferrari introduced would not be retained subsequent season – didn’t make it by to Q3, whereas Charles Leclerc struggled to squeeze sufficient tempo from the automotive to problem the entrance runners and ended up seventh.

Austrian Grand Prix: Qualifying Outcomes

  1. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 1:02.939
  2. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, +zero.zero12
  3. Max Verstappen, Pink Bull, +zero.538
  4. Lando Norris, McLaren, +zero.687
  5. Alex Albon, Pink Bull, +zero.929
  6. Sergio Perez, Racing Level, +zero.929
  7. Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, +zero.984
  8. Carlos Sainz, McLaren, +1.032
  9. Lance Stroll, Racing Level, +1.090
  10. Daniel Ricciardo, Renault, +1.300

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