Leclerc takes pole at the 2019 Austrian GP

After Ferrari had obviously caught up with Mercedes again in Canada, the neck blow came at the French Grand Prix and Ferrari found itself unable to compete. Just one race weekend presents the whole thing turned on its head again. Ferrari virtually unstoppable, Mercedes in tow.

Leclerc deservedly takes pole
Charles Leclerc has had to suffer from Ferrari's stable order time and again this season, although he repeatedly proved impressively that he was faster than the four-time world champion. This weekend, he now gets to play his part to the full. Not only does he leave the Silver Arrows clearly behind him, he is also faster than his stablemate Sebastian Vettel. The latter starts the race unseasonably far back, due to a technical problem with the Ferrari - it's suspected that Vettel has damaged the car when driving over the curbs in the preliminary laps.

The many Holland fans are delighted with Verstappen's third place finish
As always at Formula 1 races in Austria, an unusually large number of Dutch fans gather at the race to cheer on their protégé Max Verstappen. This loving support is rewarded with third place on the grid in tomorrow's race. Red Bull is thus impressively re-establishing itself as a promising candidate for the podium. Looking at the times, it is clear that three teams are on a par this weekend: Red Bull, Mercedes and, in front, the Reds, Ferrari. It clearly smells like the first victory for Charles Leclerc in a Formula 1 race. The excitement for tomorrow is hard to beat.