I don't think we can call it. I don't think we've seen the best of anybody yet, which is fine, as long as you peak at the right moment - which is of course now. That's what we're all aiming for. This is going to be really interesting.

Max Verstappen was the man to beat once again. George Russell and Oscar Piastri were his nearest challengers.

Lance Stroll tells his pit wall he had a big slide at the final corner on that last attempt to get make it into SQ3. Over at Williams, Logan Sargeant says he didn't get Turns One and Three quite right. His engineer says not to worry. Tomorrow is another day.

It's almost like they've all got together and decided the top eight, you go out first then when you come into the pits, we'll go out. It's a very strange scenario, you've only got half of the cars that can go out at any one time. The top five or six, six or seven, right down to Lando Norris have done their fast lap. whilst the rest of them are now on their flying lap. They're all out of phase of each other. It's always a difficult place to position your car.

11. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

12. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

13. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)

14. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)

15. Logan Sargeant (Williams)

Lance Stroll moves to ninth on the timesheets but is then pushed down to 10th and then back into the drop zone.

Kevin Magnussen is also in danger. The Dane crosses the line but can only jump to 11th place and out he goes in SQ2.

Fernando Alonso is also out...

We need the Alpines, both Aston Martins and Yuki Tsunoda and Logan Sargeant to the front of the stage, please. Time is running out to put down a marker.

There are still quite a few drivers yet to set a lap time in this SQ2 session, but the likes of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, who had a slight wobble on his previous attempt, and Lewis Hamilton have all banked an attempt with just under four minutes left.

Max Verstappen is on the limit already this weekend and the Dutchman goes top of the timesheets with a 1:05.186. The McLaren of Oscar Piastri is next to cross the line and goes into second place with a time 0.139 seconds off Verstappen's best marker.

When we get to the top 10 shootout in SQ3, I think that will be closer. A couple of things to contend with, we are on the medium tyres for that first session, we will be on the medium tyres again for the second part of qualifying, that's mandated in the rules. Then, we will move to the soft tyres for the final part of qualifying, which is a tyre that the Mercedes drivers have not yet used around this circuit this weekend so that is going to be a journey into the unknown.

The big hitters were out on to the Austrian circuit as soon as the doors were flung open. In sprint qualifying, every minute counts.

SQ2 is open for business and the medium tyres are mandatory once again.

The grandstands are packed with orange T-shirts. The fans are here to see one driver and one driver only. Lucky for the masses, Max Verstappen was the fastest driver in SQ1.

Tsunoda: "The car is all good but they tyres are ****"

Yuki Tsunoda suffered a huge spin at the end of that session. The Japanese driver tells his pit wall he's OK, and he is through to SQ2, but he adds his medium tyres are shot.

16. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)

17. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

18. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber)

19, Alex Albon (Williams)

20. Zhou Guanyu (Sauber)

Pierre Gasly is through in the Alpine!.

And my word. Logan Sargeant has out-qualified Alex Albon!

Alex Albon is out of the danger zone but is then pushed straight back into trouble. Valtteri Bottas is into the drop zone along with Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly.

Lewis Hamilton crosses the line and goes into11th place.

There are a lot of nervous faces over in the Mercedes garage with Lewis Hamilton racing against time to get a time on the board in SQ1. The seven-time world champion is off on his travels again around Spielberg but he comes up against the Sauber of Valtteri Bottas. His old buddy gets out of his way but there is so much traffic for Hamilton to contend with.