Sebastian Vettel topped the sheets in the final practice session with a lap record time as title rival Lewis Hamilton hit trouble with brake failure in Austria.

The Ferrari/Mercedes battle started early with the drivers trading top times throughout the session but the German was able to grab the best time for the weekend, a 1:05.092s, followed by Hamilton in second while Bottas grabbed third.

It wasn't all smooth for Hamilton, however, as he briefly held up Vettel as the two completed shorter runs towards the end before a brake failure approaching Turn 3 ended his final practice early.

Kimi Raikkonen was able to move back up to fourth in the second Ferrari ahead as Red Bull secured the third-best team spots with Max Verstappen beating Daniel Ricciardo to finish fifth and sixth

The two Haas' were the surprise front runners in the midfield with Kevin Magnussen in seventh, as he was on Friday, just ahead of French team-mate Romain Grosjean, who is enjoying a better weekend.

Similarly, Toro Rosso impressed in ninth and 10th with just five thousandths of a second between Daniil Kvyat in ninth and Carlos Sainz in 10th. The Spanish driver should be satisfied, however, as he bounced back after his session started with an engine problem leaving the pits. His car was recovered and the junior Red Bull team was able to get him back on the circuit halfway through the session.

Well down the order, both Williams cars finished a disappointing 16th and 17th in a huge surprise at a circuit the British team is usually very strong at. Lance Stroll was able to finish ahead of team-mate Felipe Massa, but given the positions that likely won't encourage the Canadian.

Their main rivals Force India are also struggling with Sergio Perez a disappointing 18^th  although his team-mate Esteban Ocon was fairing a little better in 11th.

Renault and McLaren completed positions 12-15 with Nico Hulkenberg at the front. Stoffel Vandoorne led Jolyon Palmer as Fernando Alonso, who has had to switch back to an old spec Honda unit completing the pack finishing 15th. All four driver posted times in the mid-to-high 1:06.5s'.

Sauber completed the timesheet with Marcus Ericsson finishing ahead of team-mate Pascal Wehrlein with 19^th and 20^th positions respectively, but the Swiss team at the nearest race to their factory in Hinwil were half a second down on the rest of the grid.

Lewis Hamilton has admitted the feeling of his 2017 Mercedes was what he really enjoyed around the Red Bull Ring on Friday, describing it as "fantastically fast".

The Mercedes driver took charge of the weekend early, leading the way by topping both practice sessions. At the same time, he posted two new lap records around the historic venue in Spielberg, ending the day with a best of 1:05.483s. 

Summing up the day, the 32-year-old revealed a slight issue that affected his afternoon but overall was left more impressed by the performance of his W08.

“It's been a really good Friday with no major headaches to complain about so far,” he said.

“We had to swap out a spark plug during FP2, but the guys did a great job to turn the car around and we still managed to complete our program.

“Most importantly, the car feels fantastically fast here. There's already a nice balance and it feels good out on track. This car is so quick in comparison to what we raced here last year. It's tricky, but a proper thrill to hook up a lap.”

“The team is in good spirits and we're all up for another exciting fight with the Ferraris this weekend.”

As for his team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, the Finn enjoyed a good start finishing third in both sessions, completing the program smoothly despite a trip into the gravel in the afternoon.

Bottas also revealed that new updates were introduced this weekend and the car felt really good around the circuit from the first moments in Spielberg.

“A solid start to the weekend,” he commented. “There's a good feeling inside the team and the car is clearly quick here.”

“It was great to see that the upgrades the team worked so hard to deliver for this weekend worked straight out of the box. Aerodynamically we've made another step forward from Baku, which is encouraging.

“This track punishes you if you make a mistake, and I tested those limits, but that's something I can learn from and build upon for the rest of the weekend. The balance of the car feels good and we'll fine tune the setup some more tonight to be ready for qualifying.

“Ferrari are looking strong here too, so we're expecting another interesting weekend ahead.”

The FIA has revealed the first official image of the new Shield cockpit protection set to be tested at next weekend's British Grand Prix.

The design, reminiscent of the Aeroscreen Red Bull trialled at last year's Russian Grand Prix, is now the favoured option of Formula 1's governing body as it is deemed better looking than the Halo that was widely tested last year.

Extraction is also believed to be easier for a driver in case of emergency and visibility, at least in dry conditions is also believed to be improved, though obvious concerns about rain, oil and other possible factors that could impair vision are being made.

Several versions of the Shield are believed to be in development with a first to be tested by Ferrari during Practice 1 next Friday at Silverstone, almost two months earlier than initial hopes for a first evaluation.

It is part of a drive by the FIA to introduce some kind of cockpit protection for 2018, with the Halo still believed to be on standby if the Shield is deemed insufficient.

Daniel Ricciardo believes Red Bull can realistically challenge Ferrari after he and team-mate Max Verstappen split the two red cars in practice in Austria.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit hasn't traditionally gone well at their home circuit in Spielberg but fourth and fifth, with Verstappen slightly the quicker, does indicate a better weekend is in prospect.

The worry that remains for the Australian, looking ahead to Saturday, is whether Red Bull can remain in touch when engines are turned up in qualifying.

“A pretty good day, we did most things, we could not get a full long run at the end, we had a couple of issues, but otherwise we seem relatively competitive for what it is,” Ricciardo said in summary.

“The top five cars are within four tenths or something, so I would hope that would stay for qualifying then it would be a pretty exciting show for the weekend.

“I expect the normal situation with Mercedes, they will have a bit more for qualifying, but hopefully Ferrari don’t have too much more and we can try be in that battle. We are between Seb and Raikkonen at the moment, so hopefully we will hang in there.”

One thing that did surprise the 28-year-old was the lack of performance gain across the tyre compounds, potentially due to the lack of grip seen on Friday. That could change if the weather stays dry and the circuit rubbers in, if not, however, the Baku race winner sees the potential for varying strategies.

“It is a bit surprising; the soft does not look too bad,” he said referring to the hardest compound Pirelli has brought to Austria.

“Lewis was quickest this morning with the soft, so obviously they have a quick car but still to be quickest on that tyre shows it is pretty durable and strong around here.

“I think a lot of teams tonight will be looking at their options for Sunday and not thinking it is a clear one-stop with an ultra soft and the super soft anymore.”

As for Verstappen, the 19-year-old was again left unhappy by the yellow kerbs installed to detract drivers from running wide at certain corners. His criticism echoed that he made last year when he broke his suspension by running over the mini speed bumps.

“Challenges? The yellow kerbs again, luckily not too much damage,” he jibed.

“Yeah, I think it's a lot of kerb for a Formula 1 car. The cars are not designed for it.”

After dominating Friday practice, the FIA has revealed Lewis Hamilton will take a five-place grid penalty for an out-of-sequence gearbox change in Austria.

That means the British driver will start Sunday's race in sixth at best but opportunities to pass do exist at the Red Bull Ring, giving the 32-year-old the chance to recover in another twist in this year's Formula 1 title race.

Under the current regulations, gearboxes must last for six events before a new can be installed but Mercedes was aware a new transmission would be needed after Baku, giving the FIA notice of the change on Tuesday.

The man most likely to benefit is main title rival Sebastian Vettel, who finished second in the afternoon on Friday, but Hamilton and the Brackley-based team will be hoping Valtteri Bottas can step up to potentially disrupt the German's charge.

Another variable could be the weather, with showers and thunderstorms possible both on Saturday and Sunday in Spielberg.

Minimising grid penalties is likely to be crucial as the year progresses with all drivers limited to just four of the each component that makes up the power unit.

On this, Mercedes do have the advantage after Ferrari had issues earlier in the season and Vettel himself had to switch to an old unit before qualifying in Baku due to an engine problem.

Lewis Hamilton made it a clean sweep of Friday practice sessions at the Austrian Grand Prix, setting the fastest time again in the afternoon in Spielberg.

The Mercedes driver posted a new lap record around the Red Bull Ring as he lowered his morning benchmark by half a second on the ultra-soft tyres to a 1:05.483s.

His main championship rival, Sebastian Vettel, made it clear Hamilton won't have it all his own way, as the four-time world champion climbed up to second place for Ferrari and within 0.147s of the Briton. 

Valtteri Bottas had a moment of drama as he slid into the gravel at Turn 5 and spun as he looked to rejoin but that didn't hurt the Finn too much as he took third. 

The two Red Bulls again hinted they are more ready to pounce on those ahead after Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were separated by just half a tenth in fourth and fifth, in front of Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari.

It wasn't a completely smooth session for the Milton Keynes-based team, however, as a brake issue delayed Verstappen at the start and a mechanical problem stopped Ricciardo a little earlier than planned.

The midfield order continued to be both very close and rather against what was expected with Kevin Magnussen seventh and Romain Grosjean 10th for Haas.

Fernando Alonso needed a floor repair and emulated Bottas' off at Turn 5, but the double world champion was able to maintain McLaren's much-improved performance in eighth place, just three-thousandths of a second faster than Nico Hulkenberg's Renault.

That meant neither Force India nor Williams, the two teams that are fourth and fifth in the Constructors' championship had a car in the top 10 in the afternoon.

Esteban Ocon was the quickest of those four drivers in 11th but Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll both ran down in 14th and 16th, perhaps as Williams run with heavier fuel as they have done before. Sergio Perez missed the first session to allow reserve driver Alfonso Celis a run-out, the Mexican was only 17th in the second Force India, as a result, as he made up for the lost track time.

The two Toro Rossos also hit trouble as they ended 13th and 15th in the timings. Carlos Sainz's car sprung a leak soon after the Spaniard bashed the floor against the high kerbs trying to recover from running wide on the exit of Turn 8 and Daniil Kvyat returned to the pits with an engine problem and his brakes on fire during his race simulation.

Also having problems was Jolyon Palmer in the second Renault, after his miserable reliability in Baku two weeks ago, engine issues struck again leaving the Briton stuck in the garage with just seven laps to his name.

Finally, bringing up the field was the two Saubers with Pascal Wehrlein 19th and Marcus Ericsson running through the gravel twice at Turns 3 and 5 as the Swede ended the day bottom.

McLaren racing director Eric Boullier was talking up the hopes of the British team, after a mostly successful Friday with the upgraded Honda engine in Austria.

Fernando Alonso would finish ninth and eighth in the two practice sessions at Spielberg as team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne led the midfield in seventh in the morning before slipping down to 12th in the afternoon albeit only a tenth slower than the Spaniard. 

Boullier would indicate there was still plenty to come from both the car and the new specification engine over the weekend as McLaren fully optimise their potential.

"It’s been a pretty productive first day here in Austria," the Frenchman claimed. "Honda has introduced its Spec 3 power unit upgrade for both cars, and it seems like a fairly useful step in performance.

"Taking the lap-times at face value today, we looked reasonably competitive, despite neither Fernando nor Stoffel really feeling that their MCL32s were dialled in properly.

“There’s still a fair amount of work for us to do this evening if we’re to maximise the set-up ahead of qualifying tomorrow, but I feel encouraged that we’re on the front foot and carrying good momentum after the first day of running."

Always looking to out-perform what the car is really capable of, Alonso remained somewhat passive in his evaluation of the day and instead was looking at the potential opportunities that could arise over the weekend.

“We gathered useful information, so now we try to analyse everything we gathered and let’s see what we can do tomorrow,” he said.

“Lap times are very close, there are seven or eight drivers inside two or three-tenths of a second, so tomorrow we’ll see which end of those seven or eight drivers we are.

“There were a few drops between FP1 and FP2, now it looks like rain is on the way, there’s more rain expected for Saturday and Sunday, so let’s see if the rain comes if we can make the most out of it,” the double world champion added.

"When you’re not fighting for the title, every variable may become an opportunity, you can take risks, it can go well it can go wrong, but normally it goes well.”

The action around the technical layout of the Red Bull Ring on Friday was noticeable for the volume of cars going through run-off areas and the gravels traps that dot the 10-corner layout.

The Spaniard too was caught out, sliding off at the downhill Turn 6, however, he expects that to become less regular on Saturday as drivers learn the boundaries.

“Conditions weren’t easy but that’s normally the case on Fridays,” Fernando said.

“In Baku, we also saw a large number of offs on the first day of practice, so we looked set for a bloodbath on Sunday but then things calmed down a bit.

“We were all trying to find the limits today, hence the offs, and tomorrow everything will run a lot smoother for everybody.”

Otmar Szafnauer, former Honda director and now Force India COO, believes McLaren could come to regret a potential decision to split with the Japanese manufacturer at the end of this year.

Speculation has cooled in recent weeks about whether the British team will indeed call time on their partnership with Honda after three very tough years after being considered a mere matter of when not if just after the Canadian race.

Though a return to Mercedes does still appear a possibility, Szafnauer, who was with Honda during McLaren's highly successful partnership in the last turbo era, thinks the hierarchy at Woking should think about the future and not focus on the past.

"I was saying to someone recently that maybe in two years time when Honda, who are very capable, get it all together, we will wish they [McLaren] had switched to Mercedes!" he was quoted by Fox Sports.

"You cannot be too quick to judge and make a kneejerk reaction, they (Honda) could be just on the cusp of getting it right."

Trying to explain why the most recent McLaren-Honda tie-up has been so problematic, Szafnauer suggested what he sees as the current weakness is also what could help Honda turn their fortunes around.

"What I found was that the guys who had worked in the third generation project [from the late 1990s] who had come from the second generation [1980s] had very good knowledge of F1 and what it takes," he explained.

"They were able to put the programme together in order to compete at the highest level.

"I remember when Takeo Kiuchi, who was Senna and Prost's race engineer came in, within two or three years we had the lightest and most powerful V10 engine.

"He knew what it took it and he did it. We ended up with 968bhp and 88kg, which was just a little bit lighter than the BMW and a little bit more powerful.

"What they are lacking this time around is that experience of what it takes."

Highlighting his point, Szafnauer took the example of the man currently in charge of the Honda F1 operation.

"[Yusuke] Hasegawa was there [in the 90's], but he was a controls engineer, and I am not sure they have the strength in depth of experienced F1 engineers working on the project.

"Back then they had loads of them and they knew what it took. If you don't have that at the beginning, it takes time to get that.

"But they are on their way of getting that experience of what it takes, and it would be a shame for them to part company with McLaren as opposed to sticking it out and making it good."

This weekend in Austria, Honda has introduced a Spec 3 power unit, aimed at solving many of their problems so far this season. After Practice 1, first signs are more positive as Stoffel Vandoorne claimed seventh fastest with Fernando Alonso not far behind in ninth.

Formula 1 championship leader, Sebastian Vettel believes Mercedes have the upper hand at the Austrian Grand Prix after Lewis Hamilton led the way on Friday.

Moving on from the drama that followed the last race in Azerbaijan, the German driver ended the day just a tenth-and-a-half behind the Briton as he claimed second in the afternoon session.

Given the ease with which Hamilton was able to achieve his fastest times, the 30-year-old believes the characteristics of the Red Bull Ring could be distorting the picture.

“It looks close; it’s a short track so you’d imagine it will be close,” he said. “We’ll see. I think Mercedes is the favourite, they seem very quick no matter when they went out today. So, we’ll see what happens tomorrow."

One thing Vettel is confident of, however, is that the large gap over the single lap seen at the last race will not be the norm going forward.

“Baku I think was a one-off in many ways,” he claimed. “Qualifying-wise it wasn’t good, positioning was not too bad but obviously the gap was too big but I think we just didn’t feel as confident and as comfortable as we should have but Sunday was okay. Generally, Sundays have been okay.”

What has changed the dynamic since second practice is the announcement of a five-place grid drop for Hamilton after Mercedes changed his gearbox out of sequence, that means it's now very likely Vettel will start ahead on the grid on Sunday.

The Ferrari has his own technical concerns, however, after he was forced to change back to an old power unit in Baku.

Asked how his engine situation looked, he explained: “Well, that one I have now is not the one from Baku. It’s not new, but definitely less mileage.

“Obviously Friday is different, but it should be okay tomorrow. We don’t expect any trouble.”

Lewis Hamilton made the ideal start to his Austrian Grand Prix weekend, leading Practice 1 on Friday in his Mercedes.

The British driver posted a 1:05.975s on the soft compound tyres, the hardest Pirelli has brought to the Red Bull Ring, making his table-topping time even more impressive. 

He may not have remained there, however, had it not been for a spin at Turn 2 for Max Verstappen, shortly after setting the fastest time in the first sector in the final minutes. The Dutchman, who survived hitting the wall earlier in the session after an off at Turn 6, had moved up into second place on his previous flying lap to split the two Silver Arrows, as Valtteri Bottas took third.

Ferrari made an inconspicuous start, with both Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel spinning at Turn 1 in the first 40 minutes. Though the German's moment came after hitting too much kerb at the apex, his team-mates initially looked more serious as the rear suddenly lost all grip entering the braking zone, suggesting an issue with the brake-by-wire system but there were no lasting effects.

Vettel would go on to finish fourth and Raikkonen sixth, with the second Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo in-between.

In the midfield, McLaren suggested their new Honda upgrade could finally see an upturn in form as Stoffel Vandoorne was seventh and Fernando Alonso ninth. The proof, as is often the case with the Woking-based team, will come when the other teams around them turn their engines up later in the weekend.

The usual lack of grip in the opening session meant numerous drivers struggled under braking, particularly at Turns 1 and 8. Daniil Kvyat, who would finish eighth for Toro Rosso, would choose a different place to have a moment with the Russian sliding into the gravel at Turn 3 before continuing.

With Austria being the shortest lap of the year in terms of time, it's unsurprising to see just 1.4 seconds cover Ricciardo in P5 to Romain Grosjean in P16, of the expected midfield runners that gap shrinks to just eight tenths of a second.

That means a premium is on producing the perfect lap and that showed as Esteban Ocon was only 10th for Force India with the Williams of Felipe Massa 11th, two cars most believe could even challenge for the top six during the weekend.

Massa's team-mate Lance Stroll also highlighted the trickiness of the Red Bull Ring, sliding off at Turn 8 on numerous occasions. Grosjean too had trouble at the downhill right-hander hitting the yellow speed bumps in place to keep cars within track limits and causing a front-left puncture on his Haas.

Two reserve drivers made appearances with Sergey Sirotkin replacing Nico Hulkenberg at Renault and Alfonso Celis taking over Sergio Perez's seat for the first 90 minutes.

Both would be some way off the midfield pace in 17th and 18th, but they wouldn't be the slowest as Sauber once again brought up the field. Pascal Wehrlein, returning to where he scored his first F1 points 12 months ago, was 19th as a possible gearbox issue kept Marcus Ericsson garage-bound.