Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The Austrian Grand Prix is expected to be a two-stop race run mainly on the medium and hard tyres. In the high temperatures at the Red Bull Ring, the soft will be prone to too much thermal degradation, but management will be key on all tyres.

On the race runs on Friday, Lando Norris was fastest like for like but very closely matched with the Mercedes, Safety car likelihood is relatively low at 59% and a pit stop costs 20 seconds under green flag conditions or half that under a safety car.

Ian Fergusson
BBC weather forecaster

Air temperature is sweltering at 34.5C and track 46.8C.

Heat Index is 34.1C, hence this event being held under FIA Heat Hazard protocols.

Dry and sunny; nearest shower developments are 20-25km to W/SW. FIA official risk of rain 10%

Pirelli have selected the softest compound set for the race in Spielberg.

The C3 hard tyres, C4 mediums and C5 soft compounds have all been packed for the 71-lap race.

Image source, Getty Images

Such was the chaos in the latter stages of Q3 on Saturday that a fair few drivers could have lined their respective cars up in pole today.

Max Verstappen's crash late into the session shook things up and prior to that moment, the Dutchman had looked to be a contender for a front row start.

Red Bull have brought a big upgrade for this weekend which could still put Verstappen in the mix.

"We are a little bit behind Mercedes at least," he said.

"In Barcelona it was quite close-ish in qualifying but we were lacking in the race cos that's still our weak point and that's what we want to see, whether we have any kind of improvement in race pace."

Image source, Getty Images

Ferrari have brought an engine upgrade to Austria as they look to continue their fine form of late.

Despite Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton coming close to what would have been a sensational front row lock-out on Saturday, Hamilton believes Mercedes are still in the ascendancy.

"This weekend we've not been confident that we could fight for a win," Hamilton said on Saturday.

"These guys have been 0.6secs quicker than us most of the weekend. We closed the gap overnight 0.3secs, but we still are 0.3secs down today, or two-and-a-bit tenths down today.

"It's going to be very tough to challenge them tomorrow, but with a long run down to Turn Three, hopefully together we can."

BBC Radio 5 Live

You don't need to rely on me to take you through today's action in Spielberg, we've got radio commentary to bring you, too.

Harry Benjamin's in position to guide you through all the goings on in the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix and he's joined alongside former McLaren Formula E driver Sam Bird and BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson.

You can listen to BBC Radio 5 Live's coverage of today's race by heading to the top of this page, by using the BBC Sounds app or by asking your smart speaker to 'play BBC Radio 5 Live'.

Image source, Getty Images

It's slowly beginning to cool down a bit in the UK but in the rest of Europe the heatwave is still ongoing.

So much so that this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix has been declared a heat-hazard race by Formula 1's governing body the FIA.

The designation comes at any event where the temperature is forecast to exceed 31C at any time the cars are on track.

The ruling means drivers can use a cooling kit that flows cooled liquid, such as glycol, through a system of pipes in a fireproof top worn under their overalls.

The cooling kit is not mandatory but any driver who chooses not to use it has to carry 5kg of ballast in their car to ensure he does not have a competitive advantage.

Austria is the first race this year to be declared a heat hazard, amid a heatwave across Europe that is establishing record temperatures in many countries, including the UK.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Image source, Getty

Quick thinking, experience and a "magic lap" came together to produce an unexpected pole position for George Russell at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Many questions were raised by the events that immediately followed Max Verstappen's crash at Turn Nine on his final lap at the end of qualifying - but Russell's response to it was not one of them.

The Briton, who needs a bit of luck after a troubled season so far, reacted correctly to the yellow flag zone and he leapfrogged the two Ferraris onto pole, when his team-mate Kimi Antonelli slowed down too much, and the time he set on his first lap was good enough only for fourth.

Russell's judgement, to lift off just enough to satisfy the rules, but not so much that it wrecked his lap, was the difference between taking a much-needed pole and being fourth on the grid.

The wider questions will continue, though. Why was only a single yellow waved initially when Verstappen spun across the gravel trap and hit the wall at the fastest corner on the track, taken at nearly 140mph?

Why did it take 20 seconds for race control to decide it really should have been a double yellow - by which time everyone had already completed their laps?

Verstappen described this as “quite crazy”; Antonelli as “a bit confusing”.

But in the circumstances that prevailed, it was Russell who read them correctly.

You can read more here.

Two pole positions in a row and a deficit to make up.

Is this where George Russell gets his campaign going after some rotten luck since his win in Melbourne at the start of the season?

50 points separates Russell from team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli headed into today's race.

If he holds on to P1 today and comes away with a decent points haul, is this the tipping point? Or has the damage been done?

Use the 'get involved' button at the top of this page to let us know your thoughts.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Formula 1's governing body the FIA has passed a proposal to end term limits for its president by a majority of more than 90%.

The move to end the previous limit of three four-year terms was put forward by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem.

A vote of FIA member clubs at the organisation's general assembly in Macau on Thursday approved the proposal by a majority of 90.71%, sources have told BBC Sport.

An FIA spokesperson said: "The FIA statutes have been updated to establish a consistent approach to term limits across all FIA bodies, in line with the world councils and the senate.

"The proposed amendments were approved by a supermajority at the extraordinary general assemblies. FIA bodies retain full authority to democratically elect officeholders they deem appropriate."

They declined to explicitly confirm the voting numbers.

The move allows Ben Sulayem, 64, to continue as president beyond the 12-year limit.

Could Kimi Antonelli have taken pole position for today's race?

Well headed into the final stages of Q3 he aborted his lap in the aftermath of Max Verstappen's crash at the penultimate corner.

However during an interview after the session, he said that he backed off his lap due to a mix up.

"I thought it was a double yellow. I aborted completely and missed the front row," he said.

"I shouldn't have done that. It was my mistake. Its would have been very close with George.

"He would have been a little bit ahead but it would have been front row."

Image source, Getty Images

"I had a big lift," Mercedes' George Russell said in the aftermath of his controversial pole position on Saturday.

"I went into the corner 0.5secs up and I came out 0.25secs up. It was great to get that lap.

"I just spoke with Toto [Wolff, team principal] and he said everything is fine with the yellow flag. Big 100m lift before the corner. So that's good to hear."

Following Max Verstappen's crash in the tail end of Q3, Russell went through with a monster finish to take pole off Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, beating him by 0.236 seconds to P1.

The stewards decided that Russell had slowed sufficiently to be allowed to keep his pole position, however.

Russell's team-mate Kimi Antonelli, who was running just ahead of him, also passed the Verstappen incident, but did not improve his time and starts fourth.

Image source, Getty Images

Meanwhile in the constructors' championship, this is how things look.

Mercedes, bolstered by Kimi Antonelli's fine form this season, lead the way with a 72-point gap on second-placed Ferrari.

McLaren are in third with 141 points while Red Bull and Alpine make up fourth and fifth places respectively.

Newcomers Cadillac are the only team yet to score a point so far.

Image source, Getty Images

Here's how things look in the drivers' standings headed into today's race.

Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli leads the way with a 156-point haul from the first seven races of the season.

Lewis Hamilton, courtesy of his win in Barcelona two weeks ago, is in second place and 41 points behind Antonelli, whose team-mate and today's pole-sitter George Russell is in third.

The top three are the only drivers at this stage to have crossed the 100-point barrier.

Jay Freeman
BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Hello everyone. We're back for another scorcher of a Formula 1 race.

George Russell, it is fair to say, has not had much luck this season. But is Austria and the Red Bull Ring the venue at which he turns his 2026 campaign around?

The Brit earned a smash and grab pole lap in qualifying yesterday to place his Mercedes on P1 for today's race - his second successive pole finish.

And not just that, but he is two places ahead of team-mate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli.

Breathing down his neck, however, are the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton who have arrived in Spielberg with an upgraded engine and some surprising straight line speed.

The weather is hot. The track is short and fast. The excitement is building.