F1 2023 Austria Grand Prix LIVE: Sprint race shootout latest updates and time from Red Bull Ring

Lap times constantly improving here as the track improves, with all the cars now on slick tyres – mostly softs.

Lando Norris quickest, with Fernando Alonso second and Yuki Tsunoda third.

The Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have BOTH had lap times deleted early on for exceeding track limits. Yawn…

Current bottom-five (16-20): Gasly, Bottas, Zhou, Sargeant, Sainz

Carlos Sainz has a problem with his brakes incidentally – and he’s still in the garage.

So, just 12 minutes for SQ1 – sprint qualifying 1 – where we will, as usual, lose the slowest five cars from the rest of qualifying.

It’s been raining this morning in Spielberg but the track has mostly dried out. Most cars out there on intermediates right now, with the Williams pair of Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant the only drivers on wets.

It’s raining at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg for this quickfire sprint shootout qualifying this morning!

It will follow the same Q1-Q2-Q3 format but the session times will be shorter than traditional qualifying: Q1 will be 12 minutes, Q2 will be 10 minutes and Q3 will be eight minutes.

3) Aston Martin – 154 points

10) AlphaTauri – 2 points

Max Verstappen has been cleared by the stewards and keeps pole position for Sunday’s Austrian GP.

The Stewards’ verdict read: “The driver of Car 1 (Verstappen) stated that he saw a car approaching after he crossed the line at the end of his push lap and moved to the left of the track after the exit of Turn 1.

“The driver of Car 20 (Magnussen) stated that he had to move to the right to avoid Car 1 and hence lost time on his fast lap.

“The Stewards determined from the video (and audio) evidence that Car 20 had clipped the kerb in Turn 1 and that this subsequently caused a slight change in acceleration which in turn resulted in a slightly slower time on the next mini sectors.

“The Stewards further determined that Car 20 did not have to take significant evasive action.

“We further note that the fact that the lap time of Car 20 was subsequently deleted (due to exceeding track limits at Turn 10) was irrelevant to this decision. Any incident is always investigated independently of other incidents or penalties.”

Explainer by Kieran Jackson

The Hollywood duo, famous together for purchasing non-league Wrexham and playing a starring role in their recent transformation and promotion to the Football League, have now expanded their sporting portfolio further.

Renault, the Formula 1 team’s parent company, confirmed that Reynolds and McElhenney have joined RedBird Capital Partners, the US investment firm that own Italian football club AC Milan and also have stakes in Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group, in the deal alongside US-based Otro Capital.

But why have Reynolds and McElhenney looked to F1 for their next sporting investment? What does it mean for Alpine and their championship ambitions? And how will it impact the constant arms race that is Formula 1?

Hamilton said: “I think the FIA should probably put a time when everyone is allowed to start developing on next year’s car,” he added, referring to Red Bull no longer focusing on their 2023 car such is their current advantage and instead shifting emphasis to 2024.

“Say August 1, that’s where everybody can start so that no one can get an advantage on the next year, because that sucks. It would make more sense. They should. Say for example you start the season and you know you have a bad car, you can just say ‘I’m not going to bother developing this car’ and put all this money into next year’s car and have an advantage.”

Here is Verstappen’s response:

Lando Norris has revealed he had a number of expensive items stolen in a robbery at a villa in Marbella.

It is the second time the British Formula 1 star has been targeted by thieves after he was accosted by two men and had his Richard Mille designer watch stolen after the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.

Austrian Grand Prix preview

For all the success garnered over the last two years, an asterisk has accompanied the Red Bull route to Formula 1 domination. In 2021, Max Verstappen’s dramatic title triumph was shrouded in controversy after the Abu Dhabi fiasco. Last year, their mightily impressive double-title glory was overshadowed by breaching the inaugural F1 cost cap.

This season, entering race nine back at their Red Bull Ring base this weekend with Verstappen holding a 69-point lead in the championship – and even that is from his teammate Sergio Perez – there does not look set to be such a dark cloud forming this time.

The RB19 is perhaps Adrian Newey’s greatest achievement yet. Verstappen’s confidence is at an all-time high, to the extent he joked in real time about a slightly misjudged approach to the kerb in Canada where George Russell had earlier crashed. And when the Dutchman has a rare off-day, perhaps in qualifying, invariably Sergio Perez is there to pick up the first-place trophy instead.

Christian Horner’s team are a pristine, well-oiled machine. They claimed their 100th win in F1 last time out in Montreal. Yet Lewis Hamilton, seven times a world champion and scampering desperately with the other 17 drivers on the grid to catch up, is willing to discuss the elephant in the room.

1) Max Verstappen – 195 points

2) Sergio Perez – 126 points

3) Fernando Alonso – 117 points

4) Lewis Hamilton – 102 points

5) Carlos Sainz – 68 points

6) George Russell – 65 points

7) Charles Leclerc – 54 points

8) Lance Stroll – 37 points

9) Esteban Ocon – 29 points

10) Pierre Gasly – 15 points

11) Lando Norris – 12 points

12) Alex Albon – 7 points

13) Nico Hulkenberg – 6 points

14) Oscar Piastri – 5 points

15) Valtteri Bottas – 5 points

16) Zhou Guanyu – 4 points

17) Yuki Tsunoda – 2 points

18) Kevin Magnussen – 2 points

19) Nyck de Vries – 0 points

20) Logan Sargeant – 0 points