We had some really good entertainment on track today but events have been soured somewhat by the sad news coming out of Graz.
We'll keep you updated on this story on the BBC Sport website.
We're back with you tomorrow at 11:30 BST for the eighth round of the season, where Lewis Hamilton starts from pole once again.
Post update
Mercedes on Twitter: Awful news from Graz today. Our thoughts are with the injured, our prayers with the families of the victims. Racing pales next to this.
Making some sense of the grid
So, after various penalties are applied your top 16 will look like this.
1 Lewis Hamilton, 2 Nico Rosberg, 3 Sebastian Vettel, 4 Felipe Massa, 5 Nico Hulkenberg, 6 Valtteri Bottas, 7 Max Verstappen, 8 Felipe Nasr, 9 Romain Grosjean, 10 Pastor Maldonado, 11 Marcus Ericsson, 12 Carlos Sainz, 13 Sergio Perez, 14 Kimi Raikkonen, 15 Roberto Merhi, 16 Will Stevens.
And then the back two rows of the grid will be filled by Red Bull duo Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren pair Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, in an order still to be confirmed by the FIA after penalties are applied.
Kvyat qualified eighth but is to receive a 10-place penalty for an engine change, while Ricciardo has the same punishment, but as he took 14th on the grid he will also have to take a five-second penalty at a pit stop in the race because he cannot serve his full penalty.
Alonso took 15th but as he cannot serve his 25-place grid penalty in full he will have to take a drive-through penalty early in the race. Button, who took 17th on the provisional grid, has the same 25-place penalty and will serve a 10-second stop-and-go penalty early in the race.
BreakingBREAKING NEWS
Three dead after car drives into crowd at F1 event in Graz
At least three people are dead and dozens are injured after a man drove his car into crowds in a square in the Austrian city of Graz.
The driver has been arrested but police have released no further details. Part of the city has been sealed off and emergency services have launched a major operation.
Graz is Austria's second largest city and the square was hosting an event related to the nearby Austrian Grand Prix.
The area's governor confirmed that three people had died and 34 were injured, some seriously.
Formula 1 on Twitter: 'Lewis Hamilton is the first British driver since James Hunt in 1976 to secure pole at the Austrian Grand Prix.'
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Paul Hallett: Hamilton really does manage to find the grip at just the right time; who'd have said he'd get it after FP1, 2, 3 and Q1 and 2. Marvellous.
Vicky Sanderson: Rosberg deserved that pole. Been the better driver so far this weekend!
Peter: "And Hamilton's off the track this must be Rosberg's pole..."
Nico Rosberg, P2: "Definitely gutted, but Lewis was 0.2secs up on the previous lap and I was 0.2secs exactly up at that point so I knew I had to go for it."
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Who says modern F1 is rubbish?
Lewis Hamilton's pole time of 1:08.455 is just 0.547secs slower than the all-time quickest lap at this track, which was set by Michael Schumacher in a 2003 Ferrari.
With a 3.0-litre V10.
In the middle of a tyre war.
And with unlimited fuel flow.
Not bad for a hybrid.
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Top three interviews
Sebastian Vettel, P3, on Mercedes having the edge in qualifying: "Yeah, they were a bit too quick. We tried everything and we looked good generally through practice, Q1 was tricky for all of us but we settled into the groove.
"Generally the Mercedes-powered cars can turn up the performance a bit. Even the Williams were also a lot closer than they were in practice.
"I want to thank the team and I think we should have a good car in the race."
"Don't think I've ever seen that before, both pole contenders spinning on their final laps of the session. Amazing."
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Hamilton now joint third on pole list
That is Lewis Hamilton's pole is the 45th of career, pulling him level with Sebastian Vettel in third place on the all-time list.
Only Ayrton Senna (65) and Michael Schumacher (68) have more.
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Top three interviews
Lewis Hamilton, P1: "It was quite a difficult qualifying with the track conditions. I was grateful I got my third lap in on the first run in Q3. I was pushing that bit extra on the next run and just locked the rears.
"I wasn't too concerned about losing pole at that time because I was trying to get the car going, but obviously afterwards I was thinking: 'I probably lost it there.'
"Ferrari have really showed some great pace so tomorrow's going to be a tough race. Every little bit of time will count tomorrow."
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Sean Harrison: Rosberg wouldn't have made that mistake last year. He's trying too hard this season. He knows Hamilton is quicker.
Simon Burns: Listening to the qualifying on the radio, my heart stopped... thought Hamilton had crashed!
How they qualified
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Post update
Force India on Twitter: A fantastic lap by Hulkenberg to clinch his best qualifying result of the season!
P5 for the German, who is enjoying a purple patch after his win at Le Mans last weekend.
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Bring on the abacus
Now that the grid has been decided, it's time for, er, the grid to be decided.
A few penalties to be added on to that little lot.
Team: "Nico has gone off, so that's P1 mate. Well done."
Rosberg loses it too!
Rosberg looked set to profit from Hamilton's mistake, having gone faster in sector two on his final lap, but the German agonisingly loses it into the final turn.
He runs wide in eight and locks up, careering straight on into nine.
He gets out the car, furious with himself, and slaps his hands together in frustration.
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Chequered flag
LEWIS HAMILTON TAKES POLE POSITION FOR THE AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX.
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Hamilton spins out!
Amazing scenes, we've just seen Lewis Hamilton parked up on the final lap.
He lost it in a big way into turn one, the car spinning away violently as he looked to turn in.
We've seen a lot of mistakes at turn one this weekend but nothing as dramatic as that.
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Post update
Force India on Twitter: One last roll of the dice - Nico heads out for his final Q3 attempt!
Post update
Mercedes on Twitter: Nailed it! Hamilton finds a massive jump to sneak P1 from Rosberg by exactly 2 tenths!
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Sit rep
So, settle down for these final runs, folks.
Your top 10 as it stands: Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, Massa, Bottas, Hulkenberg, Nasr, Kvyat.
Verstappen and Grosjean still to post times.
Provisional pole for Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton finally, finally gets it together.
He's done a 1:08.455 and for pretty much the first time all weekend he's ahead of Nico Rosberg, who does a 1:08.655.
Sebastian Vettel slots into third for Ferrari, six tenths off the pace.
Five minutes left. Time to prep for the final runs.
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Post update
Ben Edwards
BBC F1 commentator
"Hamilton is complaining of a lot of understeer in his car."
Massa up to third
Felipe Massa, pole-winner here a year ago, goes third on a 1:09.288, fractions behind Hamilton.
Team-mate Valtteri Bottas is in close attendance in fourth.
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Rosberg still has the edge
The Mercedes pair have posted their first quick laps of Q3.
"So by my calculations, I reckon RIC gets a five-second penalty, ALO, a drive-through and BUT a 10-second stop-and-go. I think..."
A couple of quick stats for you
Fernando Alonso has failed to get into Q3 for the seventh time this season, the same number as he suffered in his five-year career at Ferrari.
That was the first time since joining Red Bull at the beginning of 2014 that Daniel Ricciardo has not made it through to Q3.
Green light
Top-10 qualifying shootout is under way.
Rosberg into the 1:08s
I neglected to mention in all the madness that Nico Rosberg pumped in a 1:08.634 in that session, really raising the bar for everyone.
Last year's winner looks very much at home on the fast sweeps of this picturesque track.
He ended four tenths faster than team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who really will have pulled a rabbit (hare?) out of the hat should he ultimately claim pole.
OUT: Maldonado, Ericsson, Sainz, Ricciardo, Alonso
Ricciardo, Maldonado, Sainz out
Romain Grosjean was the big winner in that scramble to make the top 10, the Lotus man improving when it mattered to claim ninth place.
Team-mate Pastor Maldonado crosses the line moments later but can only take 11th, while Marcus Ericsson, Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso also failed to improve.
OK, that's not exactly what he said, but this is a family live text.
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Hamilton abandoned final lap
Lewis Hamilton's lowly finish in that session has been explained away by an incident on his final lap, the Mercedes man nearly going off at turn two after encountering traffic.
"Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz's decision to reiterate his threat to potentially pull out of F1 and heavy criticism of Renault has created a lot of headlines this week, but it has been given short shrift by Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene.
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"'It is easy to be happy when you are winning four championships or easy to complain when you are not winning any more,' Arrivabene said. 'F1 is like this. You could have a couple of years when you are winning and a couple when you are losing and this is the beauty because if everything is predictable it is not a race, it is something different. You have to accept when something is gone wrong and happy when something is going right.'"
It starts of like an episode of Holiday '86 and then meanders through lots of lovely high-speed action, crashes and a particularly memorable interview between Murray Walker and Nigel Mansell.
"You might expect McLaren chief operating officer Jonathan Neale to be one of those criticising the current system of engine penalties, given the state his team are in at the moment. Not a bit of it: 'This is a sport and to win a race you have to be pretty good at everything. It is a meritocracy. The guys at the front are doing a really good job. When it is all predictable, we get endless whining from journalists, pundits and some people in the sport. The moment we serve up something that throws up a bit of jeopardy and anguish, I thought that's what people wanted. Come on, get on with it. The rules are the same for everybody. As a top team we shouldn't be performing like this.'"
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Gerhare Berger? Nick Harefeld? Michael & Ralf Schumachare?
Normally when presented with a picture like this I would write something incredibly witty, we'd all have a good laugh and then quickly move on with our lives.
But this feels different. This feels like a CAPTION COMPETITION.
#bbcf1 please.
Go.
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Austrian Grand Prix factoids
This year's Austrian Grand Prix is the 28th ever staged dating back to 1964, and second since returning to the calendar after a decade-long absence.
Alain Prost holds the record for the most wins around here with three.
Three men share the record for pole positions at the Austrian Grand Prix, with home hero Niki Lauda, fellow three-time champion Nelson Piquet and seven-time F1 race winner Rene Arnoux each boasting three of the blighters.
"A fair portion of fans seem to object to the penalties teams are getting for changing parts of their engines. But it is important to bear in mind why these penalties exist.
"The engines are extremely complicated and F1's bosses were concerned to ensure that costs did not spiral out of control. So they came up with a system of checks and balances to ensure this did not happen. One was to restrict development by defining how much of the engine could be changed from year to year.
"The other was to limit the number of engines a driver could use in each year, with penalties for exceeding the permitted number. If this was not in place, manufacturers would simply spend more and more on fragile parts that could be changed all the time without penalty. So while the fans' frustration is understandable, it's very difficult to see what else F1's bosses could do."
Get involved - McLaren grid penalties #bbcf1
We've been asking for your views on the current state of F1's rules in the wake of Jenson Button's 25-place grid penalty, which has been exacerbated this lunchtime by team-mate Fernando Alonso being hit with the same punishment.
Here's a selection of your views. Keep them coming.
Reece Young: The penalty is over the top. But you do need to abide by the rules - not sure about those who say it is ruining the sport.
James Levy: Given so many drivers use up their engine allowance, surely the solution is allow more engines rather than endless penalties?
Neil: F1 seems to be less about wheel-to-wheel racing, and more about who can best follow the ever-more byzantine regulations. Sad.
"Both McLaren drivers face major grid penalties this weekend - 25 places in total for both because of various engine and gearbox issues. But chief operating officer Jonathan Neale sees some positives.
"He said the aerodynamic upgrade on Fernando Alonso's car had proved a success. 'The pleasing thing is that all the hard work and effort in the past couple of weeks to bring forward a package that was meant to go to Silverstone, the package looks good,' Neale said.
"Asked whether this meant that the problems with the car were even more heavily skewed towards Honda's responsibility, Neale said: 'We all have lots of work to do here and it doesn't make sense to apportion blame. The smart people like yourselves and the pundits behind the scenes will do the analysis and work out where the problems are, but the reality is we have to keep pushing. We are really excited about the aerodynamic pipeline that is coming up in the next few races."
Welcome back
Hello and thanks for joining us.
We've got Austrian Grand Prix qualifying coming up in one hour.
And it's going to be a wet one...
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So long, farewell
Right, we're pulling the shutters up for 50 minutes.
We'll be back at 12:00 BST for qualifying, where hopefully there will be more lovely rain to keep things entertaining.
James Wyer: And they still wonder why people don't want to watch anymore! Never seen a sport decline like this before!
Rob Henderson: Rules are fair - Honda's engine is a joke.
Stephen Whitfield: I think the sport needs a major revamp. F1 has lost its way.
Vettel fastest again
Rain-aided it may have been, but at the end of all that we have a Ferrari on top of the timesheets once again.
Sebastian Vettel finishes 0.017secs ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who again looked ragged at the wheel of the Mercedes.
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Final FP3 times
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Hamilton decides to stay dry
Quite a few drivers decided to venture out in those final few minutes.
Just a handful didn't - among them Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.
I think the guys on track had the right idea. This looks fun...
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Toro Rosso radio
Carlos Sainz's engineer: "You are the fastest wet runner."
Chequered flag
Post update
Sauber on Twitter: Meanwhile in the paddock... Everyone is hiding from this wet and cold weather.
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Gearbox change for Alonso
Tom Clarkson
BBC F1 pit-lane reporter
"Jonathan Neale tells me it was a gearbox problem on Alonso's car. It was a precautionary stop. The gearbox problem was found back in the garage and it will be changed ahead of qualifying."
Ferrari joining in the fun
Anything Toro Rosso can do, Ferrari can too.
Sebastian Vettel has been off track as he tests the limits of the slippery circuit. Kimi Raikkonen has also been for a trip through the countryside.
You boys are very silly - but entertaining
Well, I'm not sure what these teams are learning by letting these fellows hoon around in the wet, but they are providing good entertainment.
Sainz has been off at turns three and six, where he did a full spin. Verstappen has also been off.
"It's very slippery, but I don't care - we need to run," comments Sainz over team radio.
Carlos Sainz and the boys and girls at Toro Rosso are braving the elements on the full wets, giving the soaking fans something to look at.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel has also gone out on inters, which seems brave, while Max Verstappen in the second Toro Rosso has also ventured out. He's on the full wets.
If the flag didn't give the game away, the tins of morning lager removed all uncertainty.
Well batted.
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Get involved - Button's penalty #bbcf1
Amit Mandalia: Not a case of too many rules, more a case of too many rules being determined by the teams. They agreed to these penalties.
Travis: 25 places is over the top. If the penalty is going to be that harsh, the engine/component allocation needs to be more lenient.
Rickie Spanish: Indycar is more exciting and pure racing - F1 being a joke and a hurdle of rules, beyond comprehension of most fans!
How do you mock a man who just slid off track?
Wave a slippery-track flag RIGHT in his face as he passes.
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Force India team radio
Nico Hulkenberg: "It's super slippery - there's no grip at all."
Hulkenberg and Force India team-mate Sergio Perez have both just ventured out on the intermediate tyres, decided they didn't much like it and are now back in the warmth of the garage.
View from the Sauber garage
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Get involved - Button's penalty #bbcf1
Andy Sutcliffe: "Quick get the rule book out and give him a penalty!" F1 is becoming a farce - too many rules and regs spoiling the sport.
Jeremiah Kariuki: Looks like the Manors are doing better than McLaren. We have had more yellow and red flags from McLarens for stalling!
Neil: 25 places in an already-uncompetitive car? Way to go, F1. Really motivational for teams.
Post update
Mercedes on Twitter: Just the tiniest of twitches see Rosberg and Kimi slide off briefly. Treacherous out there...
Top 10
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Nico Rosberg's team radio
Team: "Bring it back in. If we damage anything we'll struggle to get out for qualifying."
Tip-toeing through the puddles
So, we have five cars caught out badly by the weather there.
We had the two Mercedes cars and both Ferraris, plus the Toro Rosso of Max Verstappen, queuing at the end of the pit lane to go out, but as they sat there on the supersofts waiting for the light to turn green, the rain intensified.
Nico Rosberg and Kimi Raikkonen both sailed off and continued in the treacherous conditions before all five safely made it back to the pits.
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Green light
Alonso's stricken McLaren is cleared away and the other cars go out.
The rain is falling and the cars - the Ferraris and Mercedes among them - are queuing up to go out on supersoft dries.
Red flag
Fernando Alonso has stopped on circuit in the McLaren.
"Transmission problem," is the Spaniard's message to the team over the radio.
Wow. Grim, grim times for one of the sport's most famous teams.
Today it's the turn of the Spielberg hare, who we saw on our TV screens stampeding towards the racetrack a short time ago, although at the last minute he turned away from the asphalt.
Wise choice. Go find a hole to sit in.
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Post update
Force India on Twitter: Checo comes back to the pits with a deflated front right tyre: it only happened at the end of the lap so he can make it back with no damage.
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Hamilton off track in final corner
Lewis Hamilton, yet again, has run wide on a quick lap. He clips the inside kerb through the final turn and skews off line and into the run-off area.
More frustration for the champion.
Post update
Jennie Gow
BBC Radio 5 live pit-lane reporter
Gearbox change for Vettel after issues yesterday. No penalty as it was his practice gearbox.
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Time check
Just over 10 minutes gone and it's yesterday's pacesetter at the top of the pile, Sebastian Vettel pumping in a 1:09.994, two thousandths clear of Lewis Hamilton, then it's Nico Rosberg in third.
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Toro Rosso team radio
Carlos Sainz: "OK, it's starting to rain in sector 1 & 2."
Jenson Button's 25-place grid penalty has already triggered quite a response from you guys on social media.
In my humble opinion there is something fundamentally amiss in handing down a 25-place grid penalty on a 20-car grid, but I guess the rules are there for a reason.
What do you guys think? Is the FIA duty-bound to enforce the rules in a uniform manner, even if it makes them look foolish on occasion, or should the powers-that-be exercise discretion?
Or is it a simple case of F1 having too many rules?
"Lewis Hamilton was only fifth fastest on Friday in second practice but he didn't seem too concerned. He simply did not put a lap together, and pointed out that on what would have been his best lap, had he not gone wide at Turn Nine, would have been 0.4secs quicker than Rosberg's pace-setting best. Hamilton said he was confident of a 'good' day on Saturday."
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Green light
Third practice begins, and with clouds overhead I wouldn't expect the drivers to be hanging around.
Rain update
Race control say there is a 40% chance that we'll see some rain in this session. The ambient temperature is currently 11 degrees Celsius - significantly cooler than yesterday.
Post update
Lotus on Twitter: Few spots of rain but the sun is also trying to come out! Here's what today's forecast looks like...
"How close was it between Mercedes and Ferrari on Friday? Well, apart from the 0.011 seconds between Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg on headline times, the race simulation times were as tight as they have been all year.
"On the super-soft tyre, Vettel's average was 0.223secs quicker than Lewis Hamilton's. And on the soft tyre, Kimi Raikkonen's average was 0.112secs quicker than Rosberg's. That does not necessarily mean Ferrari actually have more pace than Mercedes - Ferrari have tended to run less fuel than Mercedes for their Friday runs. But it does suggest the red cars are at least in the ball park."
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Post update
Manor on Twitter: Hmmmm. Wonder what the weather has in store for us today...
"This weekend - and this race - marks a year since a car other than a Mercedes was on pole for a grand prix. That was Felipe Massa's Williams, benefiting from a qualifying session in which both Mercedes drivers ran into problems of one kind or another. And it's not impossible that the run will end this afternoon. Not likely, perhaps, but not impossible.
"Ferrari looked very competitive on Friday - separated from Mercedes by hundredths on one lap and neck and neck on race pace. Sebastian Vettel pointed out that Mercedes always find something extra for Saturdays but this appears to be the closest they have been since Malaysia.
"It goes from bad to worse for McLaren, for whom the low of the Canadian Grand Prix, a tale of penalties and retirements, has now been followed this weekend by both drivers getting huge grid penalties for engine changes.
"Fernando Alonso's 20-place penalty was already clear on Friday, but on Saturday morning it emerged that Jenson Button would be hit, too - but 25 places for him, after Honda decided to change the whole engine.
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"On track, it was little better on Friday. Both cars did hardly any running, which was a particular frustration for the team given that Fernando Alonso is running a new shorter nose, in which the team have a lot of hope. But electrical issues in P1 and then a precautionary stop in P2 after Jenson Button suffered spark plug problems meant Alonso did only one run with the new parts.
"'We have new engines so better to run safe and investigate the problem and have no issues on Saturday,' Alonso said. 'Unfortunately we lost a bit of time because we need time to optimise the new package. We knew the goal, which was to have a clear answer on the aero package and changes we bought here. We have to use this weekend as a test. We have to sacrifice some weekends. This is one, and there are more to come, but if we learn things that will be very useful it's OK. Today we didn't manage to, so tomorrow we have to recover time.'
"Alonso said the new package was promising - he felt more grip - but that he needed more time to judge it definitively. As for Button, he said he was also likely to take 'penalties' as a result of engine changes, but there is no official confirmation of that as yet."
Good morning
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Hello and welcome to live text commentary of final practice and qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.
We are set for a great battle in qualifying later between the Mercedes drivers and those at Ferrari, for whom Sebastian Vettel was fastest in practice on Friday.
Vettel was 0.011 seconds quicker than Nico Rosberg, with the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen third, two tenths further back.
Qualifying begins at 13:00 BST, but before then we have third and final practice, starting at 09:00.
But before all that, we have yet more bonkers grid-penalty news to impart.
Keeping it on the island
"The problem is that, for the large part, people watching the television don't understand all of what is going on. They might think it is easy to drive the cars but I can assure you it is not."
Lewis Hamilton has never spoken a truer word.
Just days after making these comments in is his regular BBC Sport column, the Mercedes driver set about emphatically proving his point with a scrappy performance in Friday practice for this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.
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Hamilton's car went off track three times in FP2, the Mercedes struggling for grip in cool conditions as he finished down in fifth place.
Live Reporting
Jamie Strickland
All times stated are UK
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Latest PostBye for now
OK, that's us done for today.
We had some really good entertainment on track today but events have been soured somewhat by the sad news coming out of Graz.
We'll keep you updated on this story on the BBC Sport website.
We're back with you tomorrow at 11:30 BST for the eighth round of the season, where Lewis Hamilton starts from pole once again.
Post update
Mercedes on Twitter: Awful news from Graz today. Our thoughts are with the injured, our prayers with the families of the victims. Racing pales next to this.
Making some sense of the grid
So, after various penalties are applied your top 16 will look like this.
1 Lewis Hamilton, 2 Nico Rosberg, 3 Sebastian Vettel, 4 Felipe Massa, 5 Nico Hulkenberg, 6 Valtteri Bottas, 7 Max Verstappen, 8 Felipe Nasr, 9 Romain Grosjean, 10 Pastor Maldonado, 11 Marcus Ericsson, 12 Carlos Sainz, 13 Sergio Perez, 14 Kimi Raikkonen, 15 Roberto Merhi, 16 Will Stevens.
And then the back two rows of the grid will be filled by Red Bull duo Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren pair Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, in an order still to be confirmed by the FIA after penalties are applied.
Kvyat qualified eighth but is to receive a 10-place penalty for an engine change, while Ricciardo has the same punishment, but as he took 14th on the grid he will also have to take a five-second penalty at a pit stop in the race because he cannot serve his full penalty.
Alonso took 15th but as he cannot serve his 25-place grid penalty in full he will have to take a drive-through penalty early in the race. Button, who took 17th on the provisional grid, has the same 25-place penalty and will serve a 10-second stop-and-go penalty early in the race.
BreakingBREAKING NEWS
Three dead after car drives into crowd at F1 event in Graz
At least three people are dead and dozens are injured after a man drove his car into crowds in a square in the Austrian city of Graz.
The driver has been arrested but police have released no further details. Part of the city has been sealed off and emergency services have launched a major operation.
Graz is Austria's second largest city and the square was hosting an event related to the nearby Austrian Grand Prix.
The area's governor confirmed that three people had died and 34 were injured, some seriously.
Read more on this developing story on the BBC News website.
Overdue British pole in Austria
Formula 1 on Twitter: 'Lewis Hamilton is the first British driver since James Hunt in 1976 to secure pole at the Austrian Grand Prix.'
Get involved - #bbcf1
Paul Hallett: Hamilton really does manage to find the grip at just the right time; who'd have said he'd get it after FP1, 2, 3 and Q1 and 2. Marvellous.
Vicky Sanderson: Rosberg deserved that pole. Been the better driver so far this weekend!
Peter: "And Hamilton's off the track this must be Rosberg's pole..."
Post update
Lewis Hamilton on Twitter: Tricky out there today, but we did it guys.
Top three interviews
Nico Rosberg, P2: "Definitely gutted, but Lewis was 0.2secs up on the previous lap and I was 0.2secs exactly up at that point so I knew I had to go for it."
Who says modern F1 is rubbish?
Lewis Hamilton's pole time of 1:08.455 is just 0.547secs slower than the all-time quickest lap at this track, which was set by Michael Schumacher in a 2003 Ferrari.
With a 3.0-litre V10.
In the middle of a tyre war.
And with unlimited fuel flow.
Not bad for a hybrid.
Top three interviews
Sebastian Vettel, P3, on Mercedes having the edge in qualifying: "Yeah, they were a bit too quick. We tried everything and we looked good generally through practice, Q1 was tricky for all of us but we settled into the groove.
"Generally the Mercedes-powered cars can turn up the performance a bit. Even the Williams were also a lot closer than they were in practice.
"I want to thank the team and I think we should have a good car in the race."
Post update
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"Don't think I've ever seen that before, both pole contenders spinning on their final laps of the session. Amazing."
Hamilton now joint third on pole list
That is Lewis Hamilton's pole is the 45th of career, pulling him level with Sebastian Vettel in third place on the all-time list.
Only Ayrton Senna (65) and Michael Schumacher (68) have more.
Top three interviews
Lewis Hamilton, P1: "It was quite a difficult qualifying with the track conditions. I was grateful I got my third lap in on the first run in Q3. I was pushing that bit extra on the next run and just locked the rears.
"I wasn't too concerned about losing pole at that time because I was trying to get the car going, but obviously afterwards I was thinking: 'I probably lost it there.'
"Ferrari have really showed some great pace so tomorrow's going to be a tough race. Every little bit of time will count tomorrow."
Get involved - #bbcf1
Sean Harrison: Rosberg wouldn't have made that mistake last year. He's trying too hard this season. He knows Hamilton is quicker.
Simon Burns: Listening to the qualifying on the radio, my heart stopped... thought Hamilton had crashed!
How they qualified
Post update
Force India on Twitter: A fantastic lap by Hulkenberg to clinch his best qualifying result of the season!
P5 for the German, who is enjoying a purple patch after his win at Le Mans last weekend.
Bring on the abacus
Now that the grid has been decided, it's time for, er, the grid to be decided.
A few penalties to be added on to that little lot.
We'll clarify things for you soon.
Top 10
1 Hamilton, 2 Rosberg, 3 Vettel, 4 Massa, 5 Hulkenberg, 6 Bottas, 7 Verstappen, 8 Kvyat, 9 Nasr, 10 Grosjean
Mercedes team radio
Team: "Nico has gone off, so that's P1 mate. Well done."
Rosberg loses it too!
Rosberg looked set to profit from Hamilton's mistake, having gone faster in sector two on his final lap, but the German agonisingly loses it into the final turn.
He runs wide in eight and locks up, careering straight on into nine.
He gets out the car, furious with himself, and slaps his hands together in frustration.
Chequered flag
LEWIS HAMILTON TAKES POLE POSITION FOR THE AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX.
Hamilton spins out!
Amazing scenes, we've just seen Lewis Hamilton parked up on the final lap.
He lost it in a big way into turn one, the car spinning away violently as he looked to turn in.
We've seen a lot of mistakes at turn one this weekend but nothing as dramatic as that.
Post update
Force India on Twitter: One last roll of the dice - Nico heads out for his final Q3 attempt!
Post update
Mercedes on Twitter: Nailed it! Hamilton finds a massive jump to sneak P1 from Rosberg by exactly 2 tenths!
Sit rep
So, settle down for these final runs, folks.
Your top 10 as it stands: Hamilton, Rosberg, Vettel, Massa, Bottas, Hulkenberg, Nasr, Kvyat.
Verstappen and Grosjean still to post times.
Provisional pole for Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton finally, finally gets it together.
He's done a 1:08.455 and for pretty much the first time all weekend he's ahead of Nico Rosberg, who does a 1:08.655.
Sebastian Vettel slots into third for Ferrari, six tenths off the pace.
Five minutes left. Time to prep for the final runs.
Post update
Ben Edwards
BBC F1 commentator
"Hamilton is complaining of a lot of understeer in his car."
Massa up to third
Felipe Massa, pole-winner here a year ago, goes third on a 1:09.288, fractions behind Hamilton.
Team-mate Valtteri Bottas is in close attendance in fourth.
Rosberg still has the edge
The Mercedes pair have posted their first quick laps of Q3.
Rosberg a 1:08.8, Hamilton a 1:09.2.
Still the advantage lies with the German.
Post update
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"So by my calculations, I reckon RIC gets a five-second penalty, ALO, a drive-through and BUT a 10-second stop-and-go. I think..."
A couple of quick stats for you
Fernando Alonso has failed to get into Q3 for the seventh time this season, the same number as he suffered in his five-year career at Ferrari.
That was the first time since joining Red Bull at the beginning of 2014 that Daniel Ricciardo has not made it through to Q3.
Green light
Top-10 qualifying shootout is under way.
Rosberg into the 1:08s
I neglected to mention in all the madness that Nico Rosberg pumped in a 1:08.634 in that session, really raising the bar for everyone.
Last year's winner looks very much at home on the fast sweeps of this picturesque track.
He ended four tenths faster than team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who really will have pulled a rabbit (hare?) out of the hat should he ultimately claim pole.
Q2 round-up
IN: Rosberg, Hamilton, Vettel, Bottas, Hulkenberg, Verstappen, Nasr, Massa, Grosjean, Kvyat
OUT: Maldonado, Ericsson, Sainz, Ricciardo, Alonso
Ricciardo, Maldonado, Sainz out
Romain Grosjean was the big winner in that scramble to make the top 10, the Lotus man improving when it mattered to claim ninth place.
Team-mate Pastor Maldonado crosses the line moments later but can only take 11th, while Marcus Ericsson, Carlos Sainz, Daniel Ricciardo and Fernando Alonso also failed to improve.
Chequered flag
Post update
Mercedes on Twitter: That red car looks pretty handy...
Now or never guys
Out at present are: Sainz, Maldonado, Alonso, Ricciardo, Grosjean.
Ricciardo off
Costly off for Daniel Ricciardo at turn three with Q3 qualification in the balance.
He's eighth at present. Will that cost him?
Never in any doubt
Nicely done, Vettel.
He needed to do a clean lap and he did just that.
A 1:09.3 will see him safely into Q3.
Speed trap times
Post update
Sauber on Twitter: Last shot for both drivers on fresh supersoft tyres...
Mercedes team radio
Team to Lewis Hamilton: "This is your race set."
'So don't flat-spot them,' is the sub-text.
Vettel goes out
He's playing it cool, which is pretty brave on a tricky circuit like this.
The Ferrari man, with four world titles to his name, clearly has plenty of confidence in his ability to deliver under pressure.
Final runs coming up
Current eliminated drivers are: Ericsson, Nasr, Ricciardo, Grosjean and Vettel, who has not set a lap time.
'We fell away'
Jenson Button (from f1.com): "The wet conditions were fun and a real test. I was P1 and P2 for a while but when it dried out we fell away."
Rosberg on provisional pole
We have the fastest time of the weekend on the board.
A 1:09.588 by Nico Rosberg throws down the gauntlet to team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who still looks every inch second-best to the German.
Almost back on the ultimate pace now
We're pretty much on full-dry lap times now, so this segment of qualifying should not be quite a fraught as the last.
A 1:10.207 has Nico Hulkenberg currently top of the pile.
That's just six tenths off the fastest lap of the weekend set by Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.
Get involved - #bbcf1
Srihari: Ferrari seem to have perfected the art of messing up qualifying with a car that has what it takes to win the race.
Chinmay Shitut: Raikkonen once again out. I guess he wants to quit F1...
Nick Clark: What difference does it make? Half the field after quali will be demoted anyway, Raikkonen will probably end up 5th! Ridiculous.
Post update
F1 journalist Adam Cooper on Twitter: So in theory Jenson Button will start 42nd...
Green light
Q2 begins.
Ferrari team radio
Team: "That's P17, Kimi."
Raikkonen: "How is that possible?"
OK, that's not exactly what he said, but this is a family live text.
Hamilton abandoned final lap
Lewis Hamilton's lowly finish in that session has been explained away by an incident on his final lap, the Mercedes man nearly going off at turn two after encountering traffic.
He just squeaked through.
Q1 round-up
IN: Rosberg, Sainz, Vettel, Verstappen, Hulkenberg, Maldonado, Grosjean, Massa, Bottas, Ricciardo, Nasr, Kvyat, Hamilton, Ericsson, Alonso
Raikkonen out!
Perez, Button, Raikkonen, Merhi and Stevens all out.
Big shock for Ferrari and Kimi Raikkonen there. As all the drivers around him improved, the Finn failed to get the job done on his final flying lap.
Chequered flag
One minute left...
Out as things stand are: Perez, Alonso, Merhi, Stevens, Kvyat.
Sainz leads on a 1:11.676.
Vettel, Rosberg out of danger
No Q1 elimination for Vettel this week.
He vaults to the top of the order with a time in the 1:12s.
Rosberg then does likewise and he's safe too.
Three minutes to go
And Rosberg has just dropped into the bottom five...
Hmmm.
Supersofts across the board now
Times are getting down to full dry levels now.
A 1:13.1 has put Lewis Hamilton top for now.
Currently eliminated are Vettel, Kvyat, Hulkenberg, Stevens and Merhi.
Post update
Manor on Twitter: A little excursion for Will but he's bringing the car home ready for his second run...
Williams also put on slicks
Soft tyres for the Williams boys and they duly deliver, Valtteri Bottas taking provisional pole with a 1:17.297.
Team-mate Felipe Massa slots into third.
Ferrari team radio
Vettel: "Tyres are suffering quite a lot."
Time for slicks
Felipe Nasr is first man out on the slicks.
Despite two very messy moments the Sauber man does a 1:20, just seven tenths off the pace.
He's also gone quickest of all in the first sector of the next lap.
Get involved - quali predictions #bbcf1
Jessica: I'd love a cheeky Lotus, Williams, & Toro Rosso making an appearance on the 2nd row today!
Adam: Time for a bit of a mad hatters qualifying, bit wet to mix it up, then in an hours time, all change with the penalties...
Jeremiah: Despite the awful practice by Lewis, he may be a surprise Pole winner. He knows how to make best out of qualifying.
Sainz improves
Lap times coming down now.
A 1:19.4 sees Sainz return to the top of the pile after briefly being replaced by team-mate Verstappen.
Toro Rosso team radio
Carlos Sainz: "I think it will be slicks at the end of quali."
Post update
Mercedes on Twitter: Both cars on green intermediate tyres to kick off quali. Let's see what they've got...
First laps around the 1:20-mark
So, on this drying track the drivers are some 10-12 seconds off the best pace in the dry.
Carlos Sainz, who was bold enough to do a lot of running on the full wets in FP3, is currently quickest for Toro Rosso on a 1:20.903.
He's a second up on both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
Toro Rosso team radio
Max Verstappen: "Quite dry on the back straight with a bit of wet on the corner."
Post update
Ian Fergusson (BBC Weather) on Twitter: All looking clear on radar ahead of the session.
Quick check on the drivers' standings
Green light
The first qualifying session beings.
Sauber's Marcus Ericsson the first man out, on the intermediates.
Post update
Force India on Twitter: No rain at the moment, but the temperature is pretty much on the cold side!
Risk of rain...
...is 30%, according to race control.
Track is still damp from the earlier downpour though.
Arrivabene unimpressed with Red Bull gripes
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz's decision to reiterate his threat to potentially pull out of F1 and heavy criticism of Renault has created a lot of headlines this week, but it has been given short shrift by Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene.
"'It is easy to be happy when you are winning four championships or easy to complain when you are not winning any more,' Arrivabene said. 'F1 is like this. You could have a couple of years when you are winning and a couple when you are losing and this is the beauty because if everything is predictable it is not a race, it is something different. You have to accept when something is gone wrong and happy when something is going right.'"
Take three minutes to watch this
Our multimedia guys have played a blinder with this lovely potted history of the Austrian Grand Prix.
It starts of like an episode of Holiday '86 and then meanders through lots of lovely high-speed action, crashes and a particularly memorable interview between Murray Walker and Nigel Mansell.
Enjoy.
Get involved - caption competition #bbcf1
Rick Elliott: Hare given 37.5 place grid penalty for exceeding track limits.
Phil Crawford: 'Maurizio Harerivabeni'
Jason: McLaren's new "hare-odynamics" adviser arrives.
Andrew Bennett: Jenson Bunny claims to be at an significant disadvantage.
The mind boggles
F1 journalist Daniel Johnson on Twitter: If you want to know, this explains JB's 25-place grid penalty. My head hurts.
Get involved - McLaren grid penalties #bbcf1
Moonshine: Penalties against McLaren put off new entrants, F1 needs new engines, manufacturers etc.
James Stacey: These penalties are ludicrous - why penalise drivers for their engines faults? Why restrict manufacturers engine developments?
Keith McCormick: I used to rearrange my weekends around F1. No more. Boring, too many rules, no excitement. Tyre and fuel management killed it.
Post update
Will Stevens on Twitter: Well quali should be exciting!! First time driving on the wet in F1! Looks like lots of grip....
'Jeopardy and anguish? I thought that's what people wanted'
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"You might expect McLaren chief operating officer Jonathan Neale to be one of those criticising the current system of engine penalties, given the state his team are in at the moment. Not a bit of it: 'This is a sport and to win a race you have to be pretty good at everything. It is a meritocracy. The guys at the front are doing a really good job. When it is all predictable, we get endless whining from journalists, pundits and some people in the sport. The moment we serve up something that throws up a bit of jeopardy and anguish, I thought that's what people wanted. Come on, get on with it. The rules are the same for everybody. As a top team we shouldn't be performing like this.'"
Gerhare Berger? Nick Harefeld? Michael & Ralf Schumachare?
Normally when presented with a picture like this I would write something incredibly witty, we'd all have a good laugh and then quickly move on with our lives.
But this feels different. This feels like a CAPTION COMPETITION.
#bbcf1 please.
Go.
Austrian Grand Prix factoids
This year's Austrian Grand Prix is the 28th ever staged dating back to 1964, and second since returning to the calendar after a decade-long absence.
Alain Prost holds the record for the most wins around here with three.
We have many more facts to imbibe here.
Quick pole position fact
Three men share the record for pole positions at the Austrian Grand Prix, with home hero Niki Lauda, fellow three-time champion Nelson Piquet and seven-time F1 race winner Rene Arnoux each boasting three of the blighters.
Penalties a necessary evil
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"A fair portion of fans seem to object to the penalties teams are getting for changing parts of their engines. But it is important to bear in mind why these penalties exist.
"The engines are extremely complicated and F1's bosses were concerned to ensure that costs did not spiral out of control. So they came up with a system of checks and balances to ensure this did not happen. One was to restrict development by defining how much of the engine could be changed from year to year.
"The other was to limit the number of engines a driver could use in each year, with penalties for exceeding the permitted number. If this was not in place, manufacturers would simply spend more and more on fragile parts that could be changed all the time without penalty. So while the fans' frustration is understandable, it's very difficult to see what else F1's bosses could do."
Get involved - McLaren grid penalties #bbcf1
We've been asking for your views on the current state of F1's rules in the wake of Jenson Button's 25-place grid penalty, which has been exacerbated this lunchtime by team-mate Fernando Alonso being hit with the same punishment.
Here's a selection of your views. Keep them coming.
Reece Young: The penalty is over the top. But you do need to abide by the rules - not sure about those who say it is ruining the sport.
James Levy: Given so many drivers use up their engine allowance, surely the solution is allow more engines rather than endless penalties?
Neil: F1 seems to be less about wheel-to-wheel racing, and more about who can best follow the ever-more byzantine regulations. Sad.
Post update
Roberto Merhi on Twitter: My first F1 wet qualifying?
McLaren drivers combine for 50-place grid penalty
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"Both McLaren drivers face major grid penalties this weekend - 25 places in total for both because of various engine and gearbox issues. But chief operating officer Jonathan Neale sees some positives.
"He said the aerodynamic upgrade on Fernando Alonso's car had proved a success. 'The pleasing thing is that all the hard work and effort in the past couple of weeks to bring forward a package that was meant to go to Silverstone, the package looks good,' Neale said.
"Asked whether this meant that the problems with the car were even more heavily skewed towards Honda's responsibility, Neale said: 'We all have lots of work to do here and it doesn't make sense to apportion blame. The smart people like yourselves and the pundits behind the scenes will do the analysis and work out where the problems are, but the reality is we have to keep pushing. We are really excited about the aerodynamic pipeline that is coming up in the next few races."
Welcome back
Hello and thanks for joining us.
We've got Austrian Grand Prix qualifying coming up in one hour.
And it's going to be a wet one...
So long, farewell
Right, we're pulling the shutters up for 50 minutes.
We'll be back at 12:00 BST for qualifying, where hopefully there will be more lovely rain to keep things entertaining.
Andrew Benson's FP3 report is now on the site.
See you later.
Get involved - Button's penalty #bbcf1
James Wyer: And they still wonder why people don't want to watch anymore! Never seen a sport decline like this before!
Rob Henderson: Rules are fair - Honda's engine is a joke.
Stephen Whitfield: I think the sport needs a major revamp. F1 has lost its way.
Vettel fastest again
Rain-aided it may have been, but at the end of all that we have a Ferrari on top of the timesheets once again.
Sebastian Vettel finishes 0.017secs ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who again looked ragged at the wheel of the Mercedes.
Final FP3 times
Hamilton decides to stay dry
Quite a few drivers decided to venture out in those final few minutes.
Just a handful didn't - among them Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.
I think the guys on track had the right idea. This looks fun...
Toro Rosso radio
Carlos Sainz's engineer: "You are the fastest wet runner."
Chequered flag
Post update
Sauber on Twitter: Meanwhile in the paddock... Everyone is hiding from this wet and cold weather.
Gearbox change for Alonso
Tom Clarkson
BBC F1 pit-lane reporter
"Jonathan Neale tells me it was a gearbox problem on Alonso's car. It was a precautionary stop. The gearbox problem was found back in the garage and it will be changed ahead of qualifying."
Ferrari joining in the fun
Anything Toro Rosso can do, Ferrari can too.
Sebastian Vettel has been off track as he tests the limits of the slippery circuit. Kimi Raikkonen has also been for a trip through the countryside.
You boys are very silly - but entertaining
Well, I'm not sure what these teams are learning by letting these fellows hoon around in the wet, but they are providing good entertainment.
Sainz has been off at turns three and six, where he did a full spin. Verstappen has also been off.
"It's very slippery, but I don't care - we need to run," comments Sainz over team radio.
Bravo that man.
Post update
F1 journalist Pablo Elizalde on Twitter: Full wets, as unusual a sighting as a Raikkonen smile.
Kudos to Toro Rosso
Carlos Sainz and the boys and girls at Toro Rosso are braving the elements on the full wets, giving the soaking fans something to look at.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel has also gone out on inters, which seems brave, while Max Verstappen in the second Toro Rosso has also ventured out. He's on the full wets.
Post update
Williams on Twitter: Just in case there's any doubt...
Spot the Brits
If the flag didn't give the game away, the tins of morning lager removed all uncertainty.
Well batted.
Get involved - Button's penalty #bbcf1
Amit Mandalia: Not a case of too many rules, more a case of too many rules being determined by the teams. They agreed to these penalties.
Travis: 25 places is over the top. If the penalty is going to be that harsh, the engine/component allocation needs to be more lenient.
Rickie Spanish: Indycar is more exciting and pure racing - F1 being a joke and a hurdle of rules, beyond comprehension of most fans!
How do you mock a man who just slid off track?
Wave a slippery-track flag RIGHT in his face as he passes.
Force India team radio
Nico Hulkenberg: "It's super slippery - there's no grip at all."
Hulkenberg and Force India team-mate Sergio Perez have both just ventured out on the intermediate tyres, decided they didn't much like it and are now back in the warmth of the garage.
View from the Sauber garage
Get involved - Button's penalty #bbcf1
Andy Sutcliffe: "Quick get the rule book out and give him a penalty!" F1 is becoming a farce - too many rules and regs spoiling the sport.
Jeremiah Kariuki: Looks like the Manors are doing better than McLaren. We have had more yellow and red flags from McLarens for stalling!
Neil: 25 places in an already-uncompetitive car? Way to go, F1. Really motivational for teams.
Post update
Mercedes on Twitter: Just the tiniest of twitches see Rosberg and Kimi slide off briefly. Treacherous out there...
Top 10
Nico Rosberg's team radio
Team: "Bring it back in. If we damage anything we'll struggle to get out for qualifying."
Tip-toeing through the puddles
So, we have five cars caught out badly by the weather there.
We had the two Mercedes cars and both Ferraris, plus the Toro Rosso of Max Verstappen, queuing at the end of the pit lane to go out, but as they sat there on the supersofts waiting for the light to turn green, the rain intensified.
Nico Rosberg and Kimi Raikkonen both sailed off and continued in the treacherous conditions before all five safely made it back to the pits.
Green light
Alonso's stricken McLaren is cleared away and the other cars go out.
The rain is falling and the cars - the Ferraris and Mercedes among them - are queuing up to go out on supersoft dries.
Red flag
Fernando Alonso has stopped on circuit in the McLaren.
"Transmission problem," is the Spaniard's message to the team over the radio.
Wow. Grim, grim times for one of the sport's most famous teams.
Rain imminent
Rain is expected at 11.30.
Get involved - Button's penalty #bbcf1
Craig Scarborough (F1 journalist) on Twitter: Is the problem the rules or the inadequacies of the engine manufacturers unable to meet them?
Williams showing their hand?
The Williams team seemed to be masking their true pace on Friday, ending the day in P14 and P15.
They are already much racier in this session, with Felipe Massa fourth and Valtteri Bottas fifth, both around four tenths off the quickest lap.
And Massa has just put a set of supersofts on...
Get involved - Button's 25-place penalty #bbcf1
Daryl Yates: A massive joke how can you even bother to race with a penalty like that? Seems like the FIA are doing this to kill the sport.
Steviemac: Why don't they make them start the race in Switzerland and have to drive to Austria...
Rob Stearn: The grid penalties for engine work are ruining the sport, the FIA are myopic.
Top 10 check
1 Vettel, 2 Hamilton, 3 Raikkonen, 4 Rosberg, 5 Massa, 6 Bottas, 7 Verstappen, 8 Grosjean, 9 Hulkenberg, 10 Maldonado
Post update
Honda on Twitter: After his first run Alonso has set a 1:11.438 and is currently P12. Rain looks like it may be approaching...
Rain on the way
Ian Fergusson (BBC Weather) on Twitter: Light showers approaching from NW.
'Waiter, there's a hare on my racetrack'
This is becoming a bit of a game now.
After the Montreal gopher a fortnight ago and the Ferrari team boss yesterday, we have yet another interloper on to an F1 track.
Today it's the turn of the Spielberg hare, who we saw on our TV screens stampeding towards the racetrack a short time ago, although at the last minute he turned away from the asphalt.
Wise choice. Go find a hole to sit in.
Post update
Force India on Twitter: Checo comes back to the pits with a deflated front right tyre: it only happened at the end of the lap so he can make it back with no damage.
Hamilton off track in final corner
Lewis Hamilton, yet again, has run wide on a quick lap. He clips the inside kerb through the final turn and skews off line and into the run-off area.
More frustration for the champion.
Post update
Jennie Gow
BBC Radio 5 live pit-lane reporter
Gearbox change for Vettel after issues yesterday. No penalty as it was his practice gearbox.
Time check
Just over 10 minutes gone and it's yesterday's pacesetter at the top of the pile, Sebastian Vettel pumping in a 1:09.994, two thousandths clear of Lewis Hamilton, then it's Nico Rosberg in third.
Toro Rosso team radio
Carlos Sainz: "OK, it's starting to rain in sector 1 & 2."
Post update
Sauber on Twitter: Off we go with the sun breaking through...
Get involved - #bbcf1
Jenson Button's 25-place grid penalty has already triggered quite a response from you guys on social media.
In my humble opinion there is something fundamentally amiss in handing down a 25-place grid penalty on a 20-car grid, but I guess the rules are there for a reason.
What do you guys think? Is the FIA duty-bound to enforce the rules in a uniform manner, even if it makes them look foolish on occasion, or should the powers-that-be exercise discretion?
Or is it a simple case of F1 having too many rules?
Comments to #bbcf1 please.
Post update
Jennie Gow
BBC Radio 5 live pit-lane reporter
Alonso going out...
Sauber team radio
Felipe Nasr: "I have smoke coming out."
Hamilton confident of better Saturday
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"Lewis Hamilton was only fifth fastest on Friday in second practice but he didn't seem too concerned. He simply did not put a lap together, and pointed out that on what would have been his best lap, had he not gone wide at Turn Nine, would have been 0.4secs quicker than Rosberg's pace-setting best. Hamilton said he was confident of a 'good' day on Saturday."
Green light
Third practice begins, and with clouds overhead I wouldn't expect the drivers to be hanging around.
Rain update
Race control say there is a 40% chance that we'll see some rain in this session. The ambient temperature is currently 11 degrees Celsius - significantly cooler than yesterday.
Post update
Lotus on Twitter: Few spots of rain but the sun is also trying to come out! Here's what today's forecast looks like...
Very tight between Ferrari and Mercedes
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"How close was it between Mercedes and Ferrari on Friday? Well, apart from the 0.011 seconds between Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg on headline times, the race simulation times were as tight as they have been all year.
"On the super-soft tyre, Vettel's average was 0.223secs quicker than Lewis Hamilton's. And on the soft tyre, Kimi Raikkonen's average was 0.112secs quicker than Rosberg's. That does not necessarily mean Ferrari actually have more pace than Mercedes - Ferrari have tended to run less fuel than Mercedes for their Friday runs. But it does suggest the red cars are at least in the ball park."
Post update
Manor on Twitter: Hmmmm. Wonder what the weather has in store for us today...
Mercedes set to miss out on Austria pole again?
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"This weekend - and this race - marks a year since a car other than a Mercedes was on pole for a grand prix. That was Felipe Massa's Williams, benefiting from a qualifying session in which both Mercedes drivers ran into problems of one kind or another. And it's not impossible that the run will end this afternoon. Not likely, perhaps, but not impossible.
"Ferrari looked very competitive on Friday - separated from Mercedes by hundredths on one lap and neck and neck on race pace. Sebastian Vettel pointed out that Mercedes always find something extra for Saturdays but this appears to be the closest they have been since Malaysia.
"Mercedes might have a fight on their hands."
Post update
Ian Fergusson (BBC Weather) on Twitter: The circuit radar shows light showers in vicinity and these can be expected periodically through today.
Twenty-five-place grid penalty for Button (!)
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
"It goes from bad to worse for McLaren, for whom the low of the Canadian Grand Prix, a tale of penalties and retirements, has now been followed this weekend by both drivers getting huge grid penalties for engine changes.
"Fernando Alonso's 20-place penalty was already clear on Friday, but on Saturday morning it emerged that Jenson Button would be hit, too - but 25 places for him, after Honda decided to change the whole engine.
"On track, it was little better on Friday. Both cars did hardly any running, which was a particular frustration for the team given that Fernando Alonso is running a new shorter nose, in which the team have a lot of hope. But electrical issues in P1 and then a precautionary stop in P2 after Jenson Button suffered spark plug problems meant Alonso did only one run with the new parts.
"'We have new engines so better to run safe and investigate the problem and have no issues on Saturday,' Alonso said. 'Unfortunately we lost a bit of time because we need time to optimise the new package. We knew the goal, which was to have a clear answer on the aero package and changes we bought here. We have to use this weekend as a test. We have to sacrifice some weekends. This is one, and there are more to come, but if we learn things that will be very useful it's OK. Today we didn't manage to, so tomorrow we have to recover time.'
"Alonso said the new package was promising - he felt more grip - but that he needed more time to judge it definitively. As for Button, he said he was also likely to take 'penalties' as a result of engine changes, but there is no official confirmation of that as yet."
Good morning
Hello and welcome to live text commentary of final practice and qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.
We are set for a great battle in qualifying later between the Mercedes drivers and those at Ferrari, for whom Sebastian Vettel was fastest in practice on Friday.
Vettel was 0.011 seconds quicker than Nico Rosberg, with the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen third, two tenths further back.
Qualifying begins at 13:00 BST, but before then we have third and final practice, starting at 09:00.
But before all that, we have yet more bonkers grid-penalty news to impart.
Keeping it on the island
"The problem is that, for the large part, people watching the television don't understand all of what is going on. They might think it is easy to drive the cars but I can assure you it is not."
Lewis Hamilton has never spoken a truer word.
Just days after making these comments in is his regular BBC Sport column, the Mercedes driver set about emphatically proving his point with a scrappy performance in Friday practice for this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.
Hamilton's car went off track three times in FP2, the Mercedes struggling for grip in cool conditions as he finished down in fifth place.
That said, Hamilton struggled badly on Friday in Canada two weeks ago and things turned out OK for him on that occasion, so let's not write him off just yet, eh?