Lewis Hamilton made it three from three as he topped final practice for the Austrian Grand Prix.
As the teams completed their final low-fuel runs before qualifying, the Briton maintained a slim 0.147s advantage over teammate Valtteri Bottas, as Mercedes continued to lead the way at the front.
Max Verstappen, as expected, will be their nearest challenger, as the Dutchman claimed third, but still almost three-tenths back from Hamilton in the Red Bull.
Sergio Perez continued to prove Racing Point’s speed is genuine, as he clinched fourth with his final timed lap, putting him ahead of both Ferrari’s and Alex Albon in sixth.
In the battle between Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, the Monegasque finally appeared to get up to speed as he jumped up to fifth, with Vettel seventh.
Lance Stroll remained unable to match the single lap pace of Perez in eighth in the second Racing Point, as Pierre Gasly impressed for AlphaTauri in ninth.
Lando Norris rounded out the top 10 for McLaren, with Esteban Ocon half a tenth clear of Renault teammate Daniel Ricciardo in P11 and P12 respectively.
The battle to escape Q1 appears to be between Haas, Alfa Romeo and George Russell, with Romain Grosjean taking the important P15 in final practice.
As for Williams’ rookie Nicholas Latifi, however, he would slide into the barrier on the exit of Turn 1, potentially because of oil spilt by Perez, who’s car was seen smoking just moments earlier.
The Canadian though looks set to be firmly last on the grid, with 1.3s covering him and Kimi Raikkonen in 19th.
