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This is the place to discuss everything related to the 8th round of the 2015 season taking place in Spielberg, Austria between the 19th and 21st of June.

To submit your 10 'n' Pole Picks for Austria click here, to register in the competition click here

Picks for Austria close at the start of Saturday practice.


Track layout

image courtesy of Wikipedia



The event timetable for the Austrian Grand Prix.

Friday
Practice 1 10:00 local time - 09:00 GMT
Practice 2 14:00 local time - 13:00 GMT

Saturday
Practice 3 11:00 local time - 10:00 GMT
Qualifying 14:00 local time - 13:00 GMT

Sunday
Race 14:00 local time - 13:00 GMT

My thoughts for Austria

Mercedes will continue their domination with Hamilton and Rosberg taking out the top 2 positions.
The 4 positions will be taken out by Williams and Ferrari. The choice is yours but my feeling is that Bottas will again come out the best of this group.
The revival of Grosjean and Maldonado in their Lotus has been refreshing and these 2 should fill positions 7 & 8.
Now, it gets a little more difficult. Sauber, Red Bull, Toro Rosso & Force India will be fighting it out for the last 2 points paying positions. My feeling is that a Red Bull and a Toro Rosso will fill these.
McLaren have been improving since round 1 but this round will prove frustrating as far as points are concerned.
Marussia will again get both their cars home.

I agree on Mercedes, but think it'll be a clear Mercedes-Ferrari-Williams pecking order.

Maldonado's been driving really well this year. I think he's crashed once (one trembles at the thought of his car insurance premium) but the rest of the time it's been the car that's failed, not him.

Force India should score some points. Austria's about power/straight line speed, and, as shown in Canada, the Mercedes engine is still the one to have.

McLaren (and Honda) need to sort themselves out. Alonso must be looking at Ferrari and thinking of what might have been.

FP1
1 Nico Rosberg 01:10.4
2 Lewis Hamilton 01:10.7
3 Kimi Räikkönen 01:11.0
4 Valtteri Bottas 01:11.5
5 Felipe Nasr 01:11.6
6 Daniil Kvyat 01:11.6
7 Daniel Ricciardo 01:11.7
8 Max Verstappen 01:11.8
9 Felipe Massa 01:11.9
10 Sergio Perez 01:11.9

FP2
1 Sebastian Vettel 01:09.6
2 Nico Rosberg 01:09.6
3 Kimi Räikkönen 01:09.9
4 Pastor Maldonado 01:09.9
5 Lewis Hamilton 01:10.1
6 Nico Hulkenberg 01:10.2
7 Romain Grosjean 01:10.3
8 Max Verstappen 01:10.4
9 Felipe Nasr 01:10.5
10 Sergio Perez 01:10.6

FP3 (and then the rains came)
1 Sebastian Vettel 01:10.0
2 Lewis Hamilton 01:10.0
3 Kimi Räikkönen 01:10.2
4 Sergio Perez 01:10.2
5 Nico Rosberg 01:10.3
6 Felipe Massa 01:10.4
7 Valtteri Bottas 01:10.4
8 Max Verstappen 01:10.4
9 Pastor Maldonado 01:10.6
10 Romain Grosjean 01:10.9

Qualifying (after penalties)
1 Lewis Hamilton 01:08.5
2 Nico Rosberg 01:08.7
3 Sebastian Vettel 01:08.8
4 Felipe Massa 01:09.2
5 Nico Hulkenberg 01:09.3
6 Valtteri Bottas 01:09.3
7 Max Verstappen 01:09.6
8 Felipe Nasr 01:09.7
9 Romain Grosjean
10 Pastor Maldonado
11 Marcus Ericsson
12 Carlos Sainz
13 Sergio Perez
14 Kimi Räikkönen
15 Daniil Kvyat 01:09.7
16 Roberto Merhi
17 Will Stevens
18 Daniel Ricciardo
19 Fernando Alonso
20 Jenson Button

Results
1 Nico Rosberg
2 Lewis Hamilton
3 Felipe Massa
4 Sebastian Vettel
5 Valtteri Bottas
6 Nico Hulkenberg
7 Pastor Maldonado
8 Max Verstappen
9 Sergio Perez
10 Daniel Ricciardo

Nico gets the jump off the start and controls the race fro the front.

Driver of the day.....Maldonado in what was an uneventful day out.

I found it fairly entertaining, to be honest.

Driver of the day could've been one of several, but I went for Massa, for resisting the pressure and keeping a faster Ferrari behind him for quite a few laps.

Hulkenberg also had a good day, and Maldonado/Verstappen likewise.