Championship leader to take a five-place grid penalty
Monday 4 July 2016 13:05, UK
World championship leader Nico Rosberg crashed out of Saturday morning practice for the Austrian GP after suspected mechanical failure on his Mercedes car.
The German was unhurt in the shunt which resulted in the session being red-flagged but will be given a five-place grid penalty after the damage done to his car required a gearbox change.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff described the incident as "very strange" with Rosberg's car suffering an apparent suspension failure.
The accident occurred midway through the session when Rosberg's car suddenly veered left and hit the barriers straight-on before bouncing back into the middle of the track.
The championship leader abandoned his usual calm manner as he stormed back to the pits following the incident, with his perfect start to the weekend now just a distant memory.
"Rosberg is not happy about it all," Sky F1's Ted Kravitz reported. "We seldom see him in such a mood when he comes back, but he's angry.
"He's just come back and he's gestured towards the replay on the TV. He's watching the replay, standing on his own, shaking his head."
