Mercedes in their 'own league' as they dominate in Austrian qualifying

Valtteri Bottas survived a Q3 excursion to secure pole position for Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix.

Both he and team-mate Lewis Hamilton were significantly faster than the chasing pack, with Hamilton just 0.12 seconds behind the Finn, while Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen was third, more than 0.6s further back. The Dutchman however starts the race on the more durable medium compound tyres, while the rest are on the softer option.

Bottas had already set the pace with his first run in Q3 before he understeered into the gravel at Turn 4 on his final lap, and though Hamilton improved his time, it was not enough to claim the first pole position of the season.

"It feels really good, I've missed this feeling - the qualifying shakes! The team has done an amazing job - it's like we're in our own league. It's impressive to see."

"It was a great job by Valtteri," Hamilton added. "It's a great start to the season. We continue to show we're the best team, we're current with the times, we're always pushing the boundaries. I came around Turn 4 and saw a big cloud of dust and saw Valtteri trying to get back on the track, but it did not really affect my lap."

Verstappen said: "I'm happy to be in third, but we have a different tyre so it will be interesting to see whether it plays to our advantage. Mercedes are on a different level, but we'll see how we can do tomorrow.

"Last year, we were a little bit off in qualifying, so I expect us ot be a bit better in the race. We have nothing to lose so I'll make it as difficult as I can for them!"

McLaren's Lando Norris will start a career best fourth, ahead of Red Bull's Alex Albon in fifth. Sergio Perez will start sixth for Silverstone's Racing Point, while team-mate Lance Stroll will start ninth. Ferrari look out of sorts, with Charles Leclerc only able to qualify seventh, while Sebastian Vettel missed out on Q3 altogether and will start 11th. Carlos Sainz Jnr, who will replace Vettel at Ferrari in 2021 will start eighth, with his McLaren replacement Daniel Ricciardo rounding out the top 10.