Will Stevens on Twitter:, external Well quali should be exciting!! First time driving on the wet in F1! Looks like lots of grip....

Image source, AFP

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

"You might expect McLaren chief operating officer Jonathan Neale to be one of those criticising the current system of engine penalties, given the state his team are in at the moment. Not a bit of it: 'This is a sport and to win a race you have to be pretty good at everything. It is a meritocracy. The guys at the front are doing a really good job. When it is all predictable, we get endless whining from journalists, pundits and some people in the sport. The moment we serve up something that throws up a bit of jeopardy and anguish, I thought that's what people wanted. Come on, get on with it. The rules are the same for everybody. As a top team we shouldn't be performing like this.'"

Image source, Getty Images

Normally when presented with a picture like this I would write something incredibly witty, we'd all have a good laugh and then quickly move on with our lives.

But this feels different. This feels like a CAPTION COMPETITION.

#bbcf1 please.

Go.

Image source, AFP

This year's Austrian Grand Prix is the 28th ever staged dating back to 1964, and second since returning to the calendar after a decade-long absence.

Alain Prost holds the record for the most wins around here with three.

We have many more facts to imbibe here.

Image source, .

Three men share the record for pole positions at the Austrian Grand Prix, with home hero Niki Lauda, fellow three-time champion Nelson Piquet and seven-time F1 race winner Rene Arnoux each boasting three of the blighters.

Image source, Getty Images

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

"A fair portion of fans seem to object to the penalties teams are getting for changing parts of their engines. But it is important to bear in mind why these penalties exist.

"The engines are extremely complicated and F1's bosses were concerned to ensure that costs did not spiral out of control. So they came up with a system of checks and balances to ensure this did not happen. One was to restrict development by defining how much of the engine could be changed from year to year.

"The other was to limit the number of engines a driver could use in each year, with penalties for exceeding the permitted number. If this was not in place, manufacturers would simply spend more and more on fragile parts that could be changed all the time without penalty. So while the fans' frustration is understandable, it's very difficult to see what else F1's bosses could do."

We've been asking for your views on the current state of F1's rules in the wake of Jenson Button's 25-place grid penalty, which has been exacerbated this lunchtime by team-mate Fernando Alonso being hit with the same punishment.

Here's a selection of your views. Keep them coming.

Reece Young: The penalty is over the top. But you do need to abide by the rules - not sure about those who say it is ruining the sport.

James Levy: Given so many drivers use up their engine allowance, surely the solution is allow more engines rather than endless penalties?

Neil: F1 seems to be less about wheel-to-wheel racing, and more about who can best follow the ever-more byzantine regulations. Sad.

Image source, AFP

Roberto Merhi on Twitter:, external My first F1 wet qualifying?

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer

Image source, Getty Images

"Both McLaren drivers face major grid penalties this weekend - 25 places in total for both because of various engine and gearbox issues. But chief operating officer Jonathan Neale sees some positives.

"He said the aerodynamic upgrade on Fernando Alonso's car had proved a success. 'The pleasing thing is that all the hard work and effort in the past couple of weeks to bring forward a package that was meant to go to Silverstone, the package looks good,' Neale said.

"Asked whether this meant that the problems with the car were even more heavily skewed towards Honda's responsibility, Neale said: 'We all have lots of work to do here and it doesn't make sense to apportion blame. The smart people like yourselves and the pundits behind the scenes will do the analysis and work out where the problems are, but the reality is we have to keep pushing. We are really excited about the aerodynamic pipeline that is coming up in the next few races."

Hello and thanks for joining us.

We've got Austrian Grand Prix qualifying coming up in one hour.

And it's going to be a wet one...

Image source, EPA

Right, we're pulling the shutters up for 50 minutes.

We'll be back at 12:00 BST for qualifying, where hopefully there will be more lovely rain to keep things entertaining.

Andrew Benson's FP3 report is now on the site.

See you later.

Image source, Getty Images

James Wyer: And they still wonder why people don't want to watch anymore! Never seen a sport decline like this before!

Rob Henderson: Rules are fair - Honda's engine is a joke.

Stephen Whitfield: I think the sport needs a major revamp. F1 has lost its way.

Rain-aided it may have been, but at the end of all that we have a Ferrari on top of the timesheets once again.

Sebastian Vettel finishes 0.017secs ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who again looked ragged at the wheel of the Mercedes.

Image source, EPA

Quite a few drivers decided to venture out in those final few minutes.

Just a handful didn't - among them Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.

I think the guys on track had the right idea. This looks fun...

Image source, F1

Carlos Sainz's engineer: "You are the fastest wet runner."

Sauber on Twitter:, external Meanwhile in the paddock... Everyone is hiding from this wet and cold weather.

Image source, Sauber

Tom Clarkson
BBC F1 pit-lane reporter

"Jonathan Neale tells me it was a gearbox problem on Alonso's car. It was a precautionary stop. The gearbox problem was found back in the garage and it will be changed ahead of qualifying."

Anything Toro Rosso can do, Ferrari can too.

Sebastian Vettel has been off track as he tests the limits of the slippery circuit. Kimi Raikkonen has also been for a trip through the countryside.