This archive report was first published on 26 June 2021.
Friday's practice sessions at the Styrian Grand Prix saw Max Verstappen, the championship leader, dominate the field in his Red Bull, clocking the fastest time in both sessions.
Verstappen's title rival, Lewis Hamilton, was third in the early practice session but finished fourth in the later session.
However, Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton's teammate, was handed a three-place grid penalty and accused of 'dangerous driving' by stewards after a bizarre spin in the pit lane.
The incident occurred when Bottas, who was on hard tyres, spun sideways just avoiding a collision with the pit wall and was helped by McLaren mechanics to straighten up and leave the pits.
McLaren reported the incident, stating that it was 'absolutely ridiculous' and that Bottas could have taken their mechanics out.
Stewards subsequently handed Bottas a three-place grid drop for Sunday's race, along with two penalty points on his license.
Alpha Tauri's Pierre Gasly was unable to repeat his opening session's second-place finish due to an engine issue.
Verstappen, who goes into Sunday's contest with a 12-point lead over Hamilton, was in no mood to give his rivals any early hope, clocking a time of 1min 05.910 sec.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated that his team was 'without doubt this weekend's hunters.'
The final practice run starts on Saturday before the qualifying run later in the day, with storms forecast near the Austrian Alps.
