Lando Norris ended final practice at the Austrian Grand Prix on top but with three teams separated by only 0.25s ahead of qualifying.
Norris lowered his Friday benchmark to 1m 4.324s in the final 15 minutes of FP3, beating teammate Oscar Piastri by just 0.118s.
The Briton had set three purple sectors on his way to the fastest lap, though Piastri pinched the best first-sector time with his own fastest lap, the majority of his deficit coming thanks to a conservative final split.
Norris claimed that purple first split back with a second stint on the same set of softs, but he was forced to abandon the lap after sailing wide over the curbs at Turn 3.
Unusually he ended the session with the right side of his front wing slathered in flow-vis paint, with McLaren’s evaluation of its new parts for this weekend ongoing just hours before qualifying.
The two McLaren teammates look finally poised ahead of qualifying, but Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc ended practice within striking distance.
After complaining of a nervous rear axle early in the session during a long race simulation on the hard tire, Verstappen bolted on a set of softs to lap within 0.21s of Norris’s benchmark.
The session wasn’t totally smooth for the Dutchman, however, who lost time in his garage to a check of the floor, and he then spun his car out of the final corner late in the hour, though he managed to avoid damage.
Leclerc enjoyed a more positive day after a disappointing Friday, his best time just 0.25s slower than Norris thanks to deficits in the first two sectors. Teammate Lewis Hamilton was 0.216s slower in fifth.
George Russell remained stubbornly adrift of the pace, the Mercedes driver lapping 0.694s down on Norris after having led the weekend’s opening session. Teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli was 0.035s further back.
Lance Stroll led the midfield from eighth, splitting Red Bull Racing’s Yuki Tsunoda from the other frontrunners. Tsunoda was ninth and 0.815s off the pace – and 0.605s slower than teammate Verstappen.
Gabriel Bortoleto completed the top 10 with his upgraded Sauber.
Liam Lawson was 11th ahead of Fernando Alonso, Nico Hulkenberg and Williams teammates Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz.
Oliver Bearman was 16th for Haas ahead of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon.
Franco Colapinto was 19th but a more competitive 0.18s behind teammate Gasly after a dire Friday showing, though he spun his car late in the session.
Isack Hadjar completed the top 10 an unrepresentative 0.477s off the back of the pack after getting wide on the gravel exiting the final corner and spinning his car down the front straight.
