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14:02: Hamilton takes his place on pole position. Here we go...

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14:00: Off come the tyre blankets. Softs for Haryanto and Nasr. Ultra-softs and super-softs for the rest of the pack. Of the top ten - Hamilton, Hulkenberg, Button, Rosberg and Bottas on ultra-softs. Two stop likely today - lap 10 the estimated time to come in for the opening stop if you're on ultra-softs. Lap 16 for those on super-softs.

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13:58: The engines start revving as Hamilton gets set to lead the pack away on the formation lap.

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13:53: Air temperature just 15 degrees Celsius. Track is 26 degrees. That's nothing out of the ordinary, the forecasts always suggested it would be cloudy and cool this afternoon.

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13:51: Ten minutes until lights out in Spielberg.

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13:47: It's not the most popular part of the pre-race formalities but it seems all the drivers have now learnt to take their hats off, at least. The national anthem plays as a helicopter dangles an Austrian flag over the circuit.

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13:44: The drivers head to the front of the grid for the Austrian national anthem.

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13:42: Looks like Massa will be starting from the pit-lane.

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13:38: Behind Hamilton are the unfamiliar figures of Hulkenberg and Button. Hulkenberg hasn't started on the front row since his surprise pole at Brazil in 2010. For Button, it was the first Q3 appearance since Abu Dhabi 2014. Both will have their hands full from the charging Raikkonen, Ricciardo and Rosberg behind.

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13:36: Hamilton looks like the favourite from pole position, but there's an interesting variable at play. Ferrari and Red Bull did their best Q2 laps on the super-soft tyre, Mercedes did theirs on the ultra-soft. The designated race tyres are soft and super-soft, meaning Ferrari and Red Bull don't need to use the ultra-soft in the race -- suggesting their first stint will be significantly longer. However, the cooler temperatures today will ultimately help Mercedes stretch out the first stint on the ultra-soft tyre. Still, strategy could still allow Ferrari and Red Bull to get into the mix later in the race.

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13:34: Vettel celebrating his birthday today. If he wants to celebrate it on the top step he needs to turn in a great race from ninth on the grid.

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13:30: The pit lane is open.

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13:28: A lot of people asking why Rosberg has only dropped four places, and not five. In a curious quirk of the rules, Vettel's gearbox penalty directly affected Rosberg's grid slot. Even though Vettel qualified lower (fourth) and served his penalty first, his drop to ninth effectively left a gap in fourth. So when Rosberg then served his penalty, he dropped past second, third, the blank spot in fourth, fifth and then slotting into seventh. Then FIA then removes the gap (because Vettel is no longer there) and shifts Rosberg back up a position. A strange FIA rule but hopefully that clears up some confusion.

Lap 1

Good start from Hamilton, who leads into Turn 1 as Button jumps Hulkenberg into second place! Raikkonen up to third.

Vettel has a huge lock-up coming into Turn 2 but just manages to avoid contact with a car, and again at Turn 3 as he locks up to avoid Bottas.

Rosberg passes Verstappen and Ricciardo to move back into fifth position.

Lap 2

Hamilton leads Button (haven't written that in a while), as Button, Raikkonen and Hulkenberg lock up into Turn 2.

Replays showing another rocket start for Raikkonen, jumping between the two cars ahead of him on the run up the hill.

Might be a penalty for Wehrlein, who pulled into Massa's empty grid slot and reversed back into his own before the light sequence started.

Lap 3

Fastest lap for Hamilton, a 1:11.825. DRS now enabled. Button two seconds down, Raikkonen eight tenths behind the McLaren.

Kvyat has pulled off the racetrack. The Russian just can't catch a break at the moment.

Lap 4

Raikkonen bearing down on Button's McLaren. Further down, Vettel closing in on Ricciardo in the battle for eighth.

Lap 5

Raikkonen opens up the DRS slot but can't get close enough for a pass in Turn 2, and again in Turn 3. Fastest alap from Rosberg, a 1:11.681.

Great to see a McLaren battling with one of the big guns.

Lap 6

Hamilton responds with a fastest lap of his own, a 1:11.661. He's cruising out in front.

Rosberg having a look down the inside of Hulkenberg in the battle for fourth, opting against a move into Turn 1 but passing nicely around the outside of Turn 2. Hulkenberg then immediately loses a place to Verstappen on the run down to Turn 3.

Lap 7

Raikkonen tries on the inside of Button at Turn 2 but can't make it stick.

Vettel slips past Hulkenberg for eighth.

Raikkonen finally gets past Button into Turn 2. Nice seven-lap defensive stand by Button but it was always a matter of when, not if.

Replays show Vettel passing Ricciardo into the penultimate corner as well. Nice move. He's up to sixth now.

Hulkenberg has dropped to eighth.

Lap 8

Another fastest lap for Hamilton, a 1:11.250. Raikkonen four seconds down the road.

Rosberg dispatches Button for third position.

Lap 9

Hamilton sets another fastest lap, a 1:11.250. Button just holds third from Verstappen into Turn 1 but is unable to do the same at Turn 2 as the Red Bull out-brakes the McLaren driver on the inside.

Hulkenberg pits for super-softs, Alonso for softs.

Lap 10

Button the next man to pit, freeing Vettel and Ricciardo.

Ricciardo looking all over the back of Vettel's Ferrari and will have a go with DRS.

Bottas and Sainz also pit.

Lap 11

Rosberg pits for soft tyres. Interesting that Hamilton did not come in first. Raikkonen took three tenths off him on that last lap. Mercedes possibly have more drivers to cover off for Rosberg in that little battle behind Hamilton.

Lap 12

Red Bull tells Ricciardo they will be stopping soon. "Push now, push now," they say.

Hamilton gained six tenths on Raikkonen on that last lap.

Ericsson goes wide at the final corner after being pushed wide at Massa. Gutierrez gets a good tow down the strat-finish straight and makes a brilliant move down the inside of the Brazilian. Lovely stuff for ninth position.

Lap 13

Rosberg has emerged in 12th from his pit stop, and has to back off through the penultimate corner as Massa hugs the inside to enter the pit lane. A mega pit stop of 2.2s for Williams, they have been like lightning this year.

Palmer also pits.

Lap 14

Wehrlein reports a few drops of rain.

Hamilton lost a tenth to Raikkonen last time out but seems to still be pretty comfortable on those ultra-soft tyres.

Perez gesticulates angrily at Sainz as he nearly drives into the back of the Toro Rosso man into Turn 3. Sainz tries to gain the position back on the exit of the corner but Perez holds firlm. All of that for 16th...

Lap 15

Ricciardo and Wehrlein pit.

Fastest lap from Rosberg on those soft tyres and it looks like he's undercut Ricciardo.

Replays showing Sainz looking in his left-hand mirror, drifting to the right and then realising that's where Perez was. Could have been a nasty moment.

Lap 16

Verstappen pits himself. 2.4s for Ricciardo, 2.6s for Verstappen. Rapid.

"Some rain drops in Turn 4," says Wehrlein.

Replays showing Hamilton's rear tyres looking rather worse for wear. He's doing a really good job keeping them alive, currently. Definite some drops of rain around. So, Red Bull has not been able to get the super-softs as far as Hamilton got his ultra-softs.

Verstappen passes Grosjean, who is yet to pit, for fifth position.

Lap 17

Looks like Hamilton is starting to lose a bit of time to Raikkonen now, the gap just over three seconds.

Lap 18

Clever stuff from Mercedes - Ferrari may now feel the need to pit its drivers to cover off Rosberg, freeing up Hamilton in front.

Button passes Gutierrez on the exit of Turn 1 for ninth. Hulkenberg follows suit at the next corner.

Lap 19

"Good job Jenson, good job," McLaren tells Button. Nasr the next man up the road.

Bottas locks up but passes Gutierrez for 11th.

Lap 20

Hamilton's lap times still looking competitive compared to Raikkonen, gaining six tenths on the last lap and then losing a tenth this time around. The gap currently 3.8s. Ferrari's attention might now start dropping back to Rosberg, who is starting to look like he might undercut Hamilton even.

Lap 21

I would guess Hamilton is on a one-stopper, Rosberg on a two-stopper. If not, Mercedes needs to pit Hamilton right now it wants to keep his lead.

Another fastest lap from Rosberg, a 1:09.929. He's flying out there.

Mercedes pit crew is now out. Time for the race leader to pit.

Lap 22

Hamilton pits from the lead, slow stop with a delay at the left rear. Rosberg moves ahead of his teammate but importantly Hamilton gets out in front of Verstappen.

Lap 23

Raikkonen pits from the lead to cover Hamilton's last stop.

Another fastest lap from Rosberg.

Raikkonen loses out to both Red Bulls! That's a bit of a disaster for Ferrari... Raikkonen drops to sixth and Vettel still needs to pit from his newly-inherited lead of the race.

Lap 24

Replays showing Magnussen doing a double move (or a triple move) to hold Wehrlein at bay. The German driver understandably pretty upset about it on the radio. Might be a penalty on the way for the Renault driver.

Lap 25

Hamilton does his best lap of the race as he starts to get those soft tyres up to temperature.

There's going to be some big, big questions on the Ferrari pit wall after this one.

Hulkenberg pits. His race has really evaporated from the moment the lights went out.

Button moves up to P7 by passing Grosjean, getting good drive on the drive out of Turn 2 and getting past on the run down to the next corner.

Lap 26

That incident between Magnussen and Wehrlein being investigated. Looked like a pretty certain slam-dunk to me.

Lap 27

Oh! Big blowout for Vettel!!! His right rear has exploded as he came down the start-finish straight.

Lap 28

Well well. This makes things very interesting.

Vettel still sitting in his stranded car. He was very lucky not to collect another car as he spun through Turn 1. This weekend will go firmly in the "race to forget" for Vettel, I think.

Replays show The right rear exploding exactly as he passed the finish line. Bits of rubber all over the pit straight now. The scary bit was when he rolled backwards across the circuit and between Rosberg and a lapped Manor.

"I went over the debris," Rosberg says, asking his team to check the car.

Marshals cleaning bits of rubber from the pit straight.

Lap 29

The marshals have done a good job of cleaning the hill. Vettel walks through the paddock, helmet on. Ferrari's slim championship hopes looking even slimmer...

Lap 30

Safety car comes through the pit lane to allow the marshals to continue that clean-up job. Lapped cars now allowed to overtake. That Vettel blowout coming after 26 laps on the super-soft tyre. Was it a case of going too far, or something more technical than that? I would say the former, it was an almighty long stint.

Big bit of rubber flapping off the front of Rosberg's car, but it may well have come loose in the last few corners.

Lap 31

Safety car stays out but this time uses the pit straight, which looks to have been cleaned pretty well.

Safety car set to come in this lap.

Hulkenberg under investigation for speeding in the pit lane.

Lap 32

Rosberg bolts and off we go. It seemed to catch Hamilton out and the Red Bulls are right behind him.

Lots of fights down the order, Bottas leaps down the inside of Nasr for sixth at Turn 2.

Unsurprisingly, penalty for Magnussen - five-second time penalty for more than one change of direction when defending his position from Wehrlein earlier.

Lap 33

Rosberg already 1.3s in the lead, but has 12 laps more on those tyres than Hamilton. Could make things very interesting at the end of the race!

Fastest lap from Rosberg, a 1:09.521.

Lap 34

Hamilton responds with a personal best lap of his own.

Lap 35

Sainz passes Magnussen on the inside of Turn 2. Drivers really enjoying that part of the track.

Five-second time penalty for Hulkenberg after speeding in the pit lane earlier in this race.

Lap 36

Rosberg leading by nearly two seconds. If he's staying out to the end, it will be a 60-lap stint on the soft tyres.

Lap 37

Button doing a mega job in eighth position. A very timely return to form for the British driver with questions about his future. Nasr doing a very good job in front of him, too.

Lap 38

Button tries a move around the outside of Nasr at Turn 3, locks up and can't make it stick. He gets better drive out of the corner and the two men have a drag race down to the next corner, but Button has to bail out.

Lap 39

Fastest lap from Hamilton, a 1:09.288.

"Ok Jenson, let's try and make some progress through these cars," Button is told. Big train of cars forming behind the blue and yellow Sauber in front of him.

Button responds with a nice bit of out-braking at Turn 2, consolidating the position by opening the DRS out of the corner. Nasr's tyres 37 laps old.

Lap 40

Another fastest lap from Hamilton, a 1:09.244. Still very difficult to work out what's happening out in front - if Rosberg can go to the end on those tyres, Hamilton will have to pass him on track for the lead.

Bottas and Perez having a great scrap through the first few corners. Bottas charging through on the inside of Turn 2.

Lap 41

Hamilton is charging, with his third fastest lap in a row, a 1:09.010.

Clearly drops of rain on some of the on-board cameras.

Lap 42

I'm still not convinced Mercedes will let Rosberg go to the end. Hamilton's strategy was compromised to help Rosberg beat the Ferrari drivers, he would be rightly quite livid if he lost out because of that. I still think they're building a gap to pit Rosberg and get him out in second position.

Lap 43

Fastest lap from Rosberg, a 1:08.955.

Massa goes wheel-to-wheel with Nasr as he passes his fellow countryman through Turn 3, with Nasr then losing a place to Perez as the Force India came sweeping past the next few corners. Nasr immediately pits on those old, old soft tyres.

Lap 44

Hamilton has closed right up to Rosberg, who appears to have locked up at Turn 2.

Lap 45

Hamilton just inside DRS range. Also worth noting Rosberg is likely to be struggling with reduced aero, he's got a loose left bargeboard.

Lap 46

Rosberg now hitting the sort of tyre life Nasr was on when he started losing performance earlier on.

Hamilton doesn't seem to be pushing, which suggests to me he thinks Rosberg is pitting again.

Behind this, Verstappen looks like he's on for a very welcome home podium for Red Bull.

Lap 47

Slow motion giving a good glimpse of Rosberg's loose bargeboard flapping around on the side of his car. Signs of some brake dust as well. Think the race leader will be pitting soon as well.

Lap 48

Button gaining on Bottas in the battle for sixth. Tremendous race from the 2009 world champion so far this afternoon.

Lap 49

Siddhesh says: "If Rosberg can make his tyres last till the end, more power to him. Mercs should not pit Rosberg just to be fair to Hamilton. Yes he pitted earlier, but if he makes the tyres last that would be monumental. Hamilton should be much quicker on newer tyres and should have overtaken Rosberg by now."

Absolutely, but if Nasr's tyres were anything to go by, the 41/42 lap mark is the where you start encountering that dreaded cliff.

Lap 50

"Guys, think of bailing out. I have so much vibration," Hulkenberg tells Force India. He's down in 13th.

Lap 51

Twenty laps to go and it's all still a bit up in the air. I'm sticking to my guns that Mercedes will switch the positions of Rosberg and Hamilton anyway, given how the strategies played out.

Hulkenberg pits. Takes his five-second penalty and then gets a fresh set of ultra-soft boots for the last 20 or so laps.

Lap 52

Bottas pits for ultra-softs as well. There might be a few interested observers in his and Hulkenberg's next few lap times.

Lap 53

Hamilton sets a fastest lap, a 1:08.872.

Raikkonen has moved right up behind Ricciardo and gets a nice stab of DRS, but it's not enough for a pass into Turn 3. Still unbelievable Ferrari let Raikkonen stay out so long that he dropped behind both Red Bulls. Big questions to ask that pit wall.

Lap 54

"OK Lewis, close that gap as much as you can, it's hammer time," Peter Bonnington tells Hamilton. That would suggest Mercedes will pit both men again for fresh tyres, which I think makes sense to get to the end of the race.

Hamilton pits from second but it's another slightly sluggish stop, a 3.5s. Great job from Mercedes as Hamilton gets out ahead of the battle between Ricciardo and Raikkonen.

Lap 55

Hamilton runs wide at Turn 2!

Rosberg comes into the pits for his own stop.

Lap 56

Rosberg gets out of his pit stop ahead of Hamilton! Well then. I did not expect that. Hamilton now needs to pass his teammate on the circuit.

Hamilton on softs, Rosberg on super-softs.

Lap 57

So Verstappen leads the race but needs to make a second stop.

This is going to be good! Straight fight for the lead!

"Why is he on a softer tyre than me?" Hamilton asks. Mercedes tells him he's going to have to pass his teammate on the circuit.

Lap 58

Ricciardo runs wide at Turn 2 and Raikkonen says thank-you very much and moves past him on the exit. Ricciardo keeps Raikkonen in his cross-hairs but the Finn defends coming into Turn 3.

Lap 59

Hamilton within DRS range of Rosberg. Remember, Hamilton's has complained about following the other Mercedes before in the past. Will the different compounds provide a big enough point of difference?

Lap 60

Hamilton absolutely flying and sets another fastest lap, a 1:08.744.

Rosberg starting to get himself in the dirty air of the Red Bull of Verstappen at any moment now. He'll be praying Verstappen pits at the end of the lap, though that did give him DRS to counter the presence of Hamilton.

Lap 61

Rosberg right up behind Verstappen. He tries around the outside of Turn 2 but he locks up and can't get past! Rosberg comes back at him on the exit of the corner and makes a nice move to take the lead.

Now Hamilton has to get past Verstappen and Rosberg has some breathing room.

Lap 62

Hamilton not close enough to pass Verstappen into Turn 2, or Turn 3.

Lap 63

This is allowing Rosberg to scamper clear in front.

Hamilton uses the backmarker of Palmer to pass Verstappen on the run down to Turn 2.

Lap 64

Very curious to hear the explanation for Mercedes' strategy. Pitting Rosberg made sense, but pitting Hamilton BEFORE Rosberg when his tyres were 13 laps younger? Head scratcher, and Hamilton is definitely going to have some questions for his pit wall.

Lap 65

Fastest lap from Hamilton, a 1:08.598, but he's surely run out of time to catch his teammate.

Ricciardo, on new ultra-softs, all over the back of Button, who is my candidate for driver of the day.

Lap 66

Ricciardo makes light work of Button into Turn 3.

Another fastest lap from Hamilton, a 1:08.442.

Meanwhile, Alonso retires in the other McLaren. Very contrasting fortunes for the McLaren drivers this afternoon.

Hulkenberg retires from a very forgettable afternoon...

Lap 67

A heads up that Wehrlein is 1.2s away from scoring a point for Manor here... And he's gaining on Bottas!

Raikkonen two seconds behind Verstappen. He's only got four laps to get himself on the podium, but both men are on pretty old soft tyres.

Lap 68

Another fastest lap, a 1:08.411. Can Rosberg keep the performance in those super-soft tyres, AND with those aerodynamic damage to his car.

Hamilton is right behind Rosberg now as they approach some traffic!

Lap 69

Hamilton in DRS range and he is roaring up behind his teammate, but not close enough. They are nearly nose-to-rear coming through Turn 3. Bottas and Wehrlein right up ahead.

Rosberg understeering all over the place, his tyres look shot...

Lap 70

Rosberg very cleverly stays behind Bottas through DRS activation and keeps Hamilton at bay. It's all going to come down to the final lap!!

Brake dust coming from Rosberg's car, too...

Lap 71

Fanaastic drive out of Turn 1 for Hamilton and they hit at Turn 2!!!

Rosberg has lost his front wing!!! Hamilton gets ahead into the lead! Did he do that under yellow flags?

Rosberg drops down to fourth! Verstappen and Raikkonen get past him into the final sequence of corners! OH what drama at Mercedes. Unbelievable.

It looked like aggressive defensive driving from Rosberg, but let's judge when we see it again.

"OK Lewis, well done mate - that's not the race we were after," Bonnington tells Hamilton.

"I was on the outside, that wasn't my crash..." Hamilton replies.

Replays confirm that's the case, Rosberg effectively going straight on at Turn 2. Hamilton had nowhere to go.

Wehrlein has scored a point for Manor!!!

Replays also showing Perez flying off the circuit with a front wing failure just further up the road from all the Mercedes drama.

Toto Wolff looks absolutely livid. in the Mercedes garage.

Rosberg looks at his damaged Mercedes as he pulled into parc ferme. Another frosty debrief in store for the Mercedes!