Lewis Hamilton has taken pole position in a thrilling qualifying at the Red Bull Ring which ended with both Mercedes spinning on their finals laps.
Nico Rosberg took second place ahead of Sebastian Vettel.
Q1
Q1 started out on a damp track with drivers on the intermediate tyres. The two Toro Rosso drivers showing the early pace with the track conditions at their most damp.
When the time came for dry tyres, everyone bar Williams switched to the option tyre. Williams quickly pitted soon after changing from the softs to supersofts.
Times were tumbling and no driver was safe. Button in his McLaren leading the session with 5 minutes to go on a drying track was still fighting for a place in Q2 which he didn’t succeed with. Traffic held up many of the faster cars and provided a surprise Q1 exit for a Ferrari for the second race in a row, this time Raikkonen the victim.
Those eliminated in Q1 were: Stevens (20th), Merhi (19th), Raikkonen (18th), Button (17th) and Perez (16th).
Q2
Drivers quickly rejoined the track in Q2 with a 30% rain chance looming. Hulkenberg set the pace early on with a 1:10.207 . All the drivers opting for the supersoft again.
Drivers were reminded that these tyres would be used for the race. Rosberg set a 1:08.634 to go fastest by 0.4s from Hamilton and 0.7 from Vettel in 3rd.
Kvyat squeezed into Q3, but Ricciardo couldn’t follow him through at the Red Bull Ring.
Drivers eliminated were: Alonso (15th), Ricciardo (14th), Sainz (13th), Ericsson (12th) and Maldonado (11th).
Q3
Suddenly Hamilton picked up the pace in the middle sector and set the fastest lap of the first runs. A 1:08.455 0.2s quicker than Rosberg. Vettel and the Williams cars separated by 0.2s.
On their final runs, both Mercedes locked up – Hamilton in the first corner and Rosberg in the last. Vettel secured 3rd place just 0.355 behind Hamilton and Hulkenberg impressively split the Williams duo in 5th.
Verstappen and Kvyat finished 7th and 8th. Impressive for Renault engines on this circuit.
Nasr also impressively finished P9 and Grosjean did not participate in Q3.
