Mercedes continue dominance as Bottas takes Austrian pole

Valtteri Bottas took pole position at the Austrian Grand Prix again as Mercedes enjoyed back-to-back one-twos in Formula One qualifying.

Bottas led from the front to triumph in Austria last year and his team's dominance at the Red Bull Ring continued as he again qualified fastest on Saturday.

And after Hamilton took pole and then won at the French Grand Prix last time out, with Bottas starting in second, the Briton ensured there will be another all-Mercedes front row.

Bottas led throughout Q3, with Kimi Raikkonen his nearest rival, until the competition hotted up on the final lap.

Sebastian Vettel came in ahead of team-mate Raikkonen, but Bottas then went faster still to extend his advantage. Season leader Hamilton usurped Vettel to cap a fine day for his team.

Mercedes have won all four races in Spielberg since the race returned to the calendar in 2014.

Romain Grosjean, who endured a torrid time as he crashed in Q3 in France, improved to qualify in sixth.

It was another tough day for Fernando Alonso, though, after yet more speculation around his future, as the Spaniard damaged his front wing in Q2 and ended up in 14th.

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