Qualifying for the Portuguese Grand Prix is just around the corner, and it promises to be an exciting one. The top teams are very close to each other in terms of pace, so it will come down to the drivers' driving skills. Will Verstappen take his second pole position of the season? Or will Lewis Hamilton secure his 100th pole position in his career? Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez will also be pushing for that top spot.
Liveblog - Qualifying
Standings
The standings after the two free practice sessions on Friday showed that Red Bull currently has no significant lead over Mercedes. The two top teams are close in pace, and it is difficult to predict whose side has the advantage this weekend. Although Lewis Hamilton was the fastest in FP2, with a time of 1:19:837, Verstappen was just one-tenth off.
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Honda bringing further developments to PU? 'We learn from every session'
In addition, there are once again problems finding the right grip on the Portuguese circuit. Just like last year, when the low grip made for a spectacular Grand Prix. It will therefore come down to the drivers' expertise on the challenging track at Portimao.
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Verstappen hopeful: "I hope it pays off"
Lewis Hamilton has the chance to secure his 100th career pole position this afternoon.
Midfield
It's still early days, but currently, the top four drivers in the Championship standings all compete for four different teams. It's expected that Bottas and Perez will work their way up the leaderboard, but we still predict Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc will be racing against each other all season for the best of the rest position. Ferrari and McLaren will be renewing their rivalry in 2021.
Pierre Gasly has looked strong in his AlphaTauri but has only scored six points in the two races. Aston Martin looked much improved in Imola, but Sebastian Vettel is still yet to score a point for his new team.
Follow all the action in qualifying for the Portuguese Grand Prix here, in our live blog!