George Russell delivered a timely boost ahead of qualifying for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix by finishing fastest in final practice.
Russell, 50 points behind Kimi Antonelli in the world championship standings and without a win since the opening round in Australia in March, edged out his Mercedes team-mate by just 0.038 seconds.
Russell had appeared off the pace but he saved his best lap of the weekend at the Red Bull Ring for the closing moments on the one-hour session to stake his claim as a contender for pole position.
Lewis Hamilton, fresh from winning the previous round in Spain a fortnight ago, could yet take the fight to the Mercedes pair.
Hamilton, 41 points behind in the championship standings, is Antonelli’s nearest contender in the title race, and he was just 0.115secs off the pace in the concluding session.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took fourth, one place clear of team-mate Lando Norris, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen sixth.
Charles Leclerc has been unable to match Hamilton in recent rounds, and he ended Saturday’s session down in seventh, more than three tenths off the pace.
Qualifying for the eighth round in Spielberg gets under way at 4pm local time (3pm BST).
