This archive report was first published on 2 July 2021.
Friday's second free practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix was marked by cooler temperatures and a switch to softer tyres, resulting in faster lap times compared to the corresponding session last week.
However, the session was interrupted by rain in the last half hour, which hampered the drivers and prevented them from fully exploiting the track's potential.
Despite the challenging conditions, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton managed to clock the quickest time of the day, with a lap of 1min 04.523sec. This was 0.189sec faster than his teammate Valtteri Bottas, who finished second, and 0.217sec ahead of championship leader Max Verstappen, who was third.
Hamilton's impressive performance was a welcome boost for Mercedes, who are looking to stop Verstappen from pulling further ahead in the drivers' standings. The seven-time world champion trails Verstappen by 18 points in the title race.
Hamilton's teammate, Valtteri Bottas, was also pleased with the team's progress, saying, 'We have definitely made some small steps forward but not enough. Over a single lap, that felt pretty good.'
Hamilton, however, was cautious in his assessment, warning that Red Bull still had an edge over Mercedes. 'They (Red Bull) have definitely got some extra in their bag, I already know that,' he said.
The final practice session takes place on Saturday at 1000 GMT, followed by qualifying at 1300 GMT.
