2021 F1 Styrian Grand Prix - Qualifying - As it happened

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Esteban Ocon (FRA), Alpine F1 Team
Esteban Ocon (FRA), Alpine F1 Team
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The second part of Formula 1's triple-header takes to the Red Bull Ring for the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix. 

Back-to-back races in Austria makes it a repeat of the start of last season. 

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We head to Red Bull's home race with Max Verstappen top of the drivers' championship, 12 points clear of Lewis Hamilton.

The Austrian outfit sits 37 points clear of Mercedes in the constructors' championship, benefiting from Sergio Perez's impressive recent form.

Mercedes dominated both races at the Red Bull Ring in 2020 with Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas taking one victory each.

Given the recent form of Red Bull and its impressive straight-line speed at the Circuit Paul Ricard, it is expected to be favourites once again.

What to expect from this weekend?

The weather situation is changing as we get closer to race day. Race day is expected to remain dry though. 

Pirelli has nominated the C2, C3 and C4 tyres for this weekend's race.

Ahead of the weekend, Pirelli's Mario Isola said: “Once again after last year, Austria hosts a back-to-back race, which means that the teams have plenty of data on this track and recent experience of how to deal with its particular challenges and tactics. However, having two different tyre nominations is a first for the Red Bull Ring, so it’s going to be interesting to see how the teams get to grips with the softest C5 tyres for the second race weekend – and how the new selection influences strategy in order to create different opportunities compared to the preceding Steiermark Grand Prix.”

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