Ricciardo bracing for an exciting Sunday afternoon

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Daniel Ricciardo will start tomorrow's Austrian Grand Prix P4, equaling his best grid position this year courtesy of Lewis Hamilton's demotion to 8th.

The Red Bull Racing driver pretty much made the most of the afternoon session, although a late charge was halted by a yellow-flag situation brought out by Romain Grosjean's stranded Haas.

"I think it's as good as we could expect", said the Aussie.

"We look pretty close to Kimi, about a tenth off, so it's nice to be in that hunt. Looking forward to the race, pretty happy with how the session went.

"It would have been nice to close out that last lap but there were a few yellow flags, so everyone was just trying to find the limit.

"As we've seen this year, it's not the first time people have gone off in Q3. I've had my fair share as well."

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Ricciardo doubted he would have gained much without the caution zone as fourth-placed man Kimi Raikkonen was running right in front of him at that stage.

"Kimi was just in front of me and in the same boat, he also had an opportunity to improve and I think we were both up in our first sector, but then we caught the yellow.

"You could argue that we both could have gone quicker and it would have stayed the same.

"It would have been nice to see a mid 1:04 as opposed to a high. Anyway, it was fun. The track was quick, grip is high, lap times are pretty quick.

Looking ahead, the Honey Badger is bracing himself for an eventful afternoon of racing tomorrow.

"It sounds like there may be a bit of rain coming around noon, so it's going to be an interesting race. I don't think it will be that straight forward.

"Obviously Lewis will be trying to come up through the ranks as well so it's going to be exciting, I hope."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.