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Austrian GP, Practice Three: Charles Leclerc on top in fast Ferrari

Leclerc a tenth ahead of Hamilton, with Ferrari and Mercedes set for qualifying battle; Watch Saturday shootout at 2pm on Sky F1

An in-form Charles Leclerc topped final practice for the Austrian GP as the young Ferrari driver out-paced Mercedes and his team-mate to lay down an impressive marker before qualifying.

Leclerc, who was also fastest in a crash-heavy P2 on Friday, posted the quickest time of the weekend on Saturday morning and his 1:03.987 saw him finish 0.143s ahead of championship leader Lewis Hamilton.

Valtteri Bottas was a tenth further back in the other Mercedes, while Sebastian Vettel was just behind the Finn in fourth.

But the German has plenty of work to do if he is going to reel in his Ferrari team-mate in qualifying, which starts at 2pm on Sky Sports F1.

"On this evidence, Charles Leclerc is very much a candidate for his second pole position in F1 today," said Sky F1's David Croft.

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Lewis Hamilton runs wide at Turn One in final practice.

There also looks set to be a fascinating battle between Mercedes and Ferrari in qualifying, as while engine modes are unknown from final practice, the Italian team have been around 10kph faster on the straights and look far more comfortable on the high-speed Spielberg circuit than they were last weekend in France.

Red Bull, however, don't look to be in the battle for pole at their home race.

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Max Verstappen enjoyed a trouble-free session following his P2 shunt, but was four tenths off the pace in fifth. His under-pressure team-mate Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, was some way back in seventh after encountering software issues on his Honda engine.

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Coming up this weekend on Sky Sports F1, tune in from 10:45am on Saturday and 12:30pm on Sunday for the Austrian GP.

That allowed Lando Norris into the top six, and the impressive British rookie was within a second of Leclerc's leading time. Carlos Sainz, who has an engine penalty this weekend, was eighth, with the resurgent McLaren team enjoying another successful weekend so far.

The improving Antonio Giovinazzi and Daniil Kvyat completed the top-10 for Alfa Romeo and Toro Rosso respectively.

Renault's Spielberg struggles continued in final practice with Nico Hulkenberg 12th and Daniel Ricciardo down in 17th, while Haas - who finished fourth and fifth in this race last year - are also up against it.

Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen could only manage 15th and 18th.

Austrian GP Practice Three Timesheet

Driver Team Time
1) Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:03.987
2) Lewis Hamilton Mercedes +0.143
3) Valtteri Bottas Mercedes +0.234
4) Sebastian Vettel Ferrari +0.263
5) Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.459
6) Lando Norris McLaren +0.999
7) Pierre Gasly Red Bull +1.165
8) Carlos Sainz McLaren +1.232
9) Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo +1.349
10) Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso +1.404
11) Alexander Albon Toro Rosso +1.494
12) Nico Hulkenberg Renault +1.527
13) Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo +1.527
14) Sergio Perez Racing Point +1.536
15) Romain Grosjean Haas +1.633
16) Lance Stroll Racing Point +1.663
17) Daniel Ricciardo Renault +1.891
18) Kevin Magnussen Haas +2.030
19) Robert Kubica Williams +2.689
20) George Russell Williams +3.497

The whole Austrian GP weekend is live only on Sky Sports F1. Sunday's race begins at 2.10pm with build-up from 12.30pm. Find out more about Formula 1 on Sky Sports

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