F1 – Austrian Grand Prix race: Live build-up ahead of race as Max Verstappen kills off Mercedes hopes by committing future to Red Bull… and Lando Norris looks to bag second win of his career

Yesterday our 20 brave speed devils took part in a sprint race.

Don’t call it boring just because Verstappen won, because it was anything but.

Norris still had a chance to win when he passed Verstappen in turn four, but he quickly lost the lead when his teammate Piastri overtook him. Piastri eventually finished second, ahead of the Briton.

Perez will be disappointed to finish eighth, while Alonso was not quick enough and finished 14th without scoring any points.

This is how we stand in line today.

A solid opportunity for the Brits, with Norris second, Russell third and Hamilton fifth. Expect plenty of overtaking opportunities this afternoon on one of the shorter courses on the calendar.

Mercedes have regained their form of late. Could we even see Norris or Russell take a shot at the top spot? It will take a smart strategy to surpass Red Bull – Verstappen qualified almost half a second faster than Norris.

The big news of this race weekend is that Max Verstappen will not be driving for Mercedes next season.

the Silver Arrows have hoped to capitalize on the disarray caused by the Christian Horner scandal, with Mercedes chief Toto Wolff very open about his affection for the three-time world champion.

But Verstappen has poured cold water on those ambitions and given Red Bull a major boost ahead of this race.

Hello and welcome to Mail Sport’s live blog about the F1 GP of Austria.

Tens of thousands of Dutch fans have traveled to Spielberg for Red Bull’s home race, as Max Vertsappen aims for a third consecutive victory.

Meanwhile, Lando Norris starts in second place as he hopes to build on his excellent form of recent times and take his second career victory.