Kimi Antonelli led a Mercedes one-two in the first practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix, outpacing teammate George Russell at the Red Bull Ring. Antonelli, who currently leads the Drivers’ Championship, finished the session with a time of 1m 07.796s, just 0.040 seconds faster than Russell. Oscar Piastri of McLaren secured third place, approximately one-tenth of a second behind Russell.
The session saw several teams encounter reliability issues. Max Verstappen, driving a Red Bull with a significant aerodynamic upgrade, experienced software problems that caused his car to stop twice in the pit lane during the initial 20 minutes. He eventually finished fourth, 0.281 seconds behind Antonelli, but expressed dissatisfaction with his car’s balance, noting that it was “shaking under braking.” Verstappen was eventually able to get on track after the 20-minute mark and became the first driver to use the soft tyre, moving up to third place at one point, though he complained about a lack of feeling and hot tyres as track temperatures reached 50°C.
Lando Norris, Piastri’s teammate at McLaren, also faced challenges, losing 45 minutes of track time due to a hydraulic leak. This issue confined him to the garage until the final 14 minutes of the session, and he ultimately placed seventh. Isack Hadjar, another Red Bull driver, was delayed in joining the session until only 24 minutes remained due to car issues, which included a forced engine change after a late problem was discovered.
Mercedes’ Dominance and Rivals’ Setbacks
The Mercedes duo consistently traded fastest laps throughout the practice session. Russell initially topped the times with a 1m 10.407s, but noted over the radio that his “throttle pedal feels weird compared to last week.” Antonelli then improved upon this with a 1m 09.119s on medium Pirelli tyres. The championship leader later experienced a lock-up at Turn 1, taking to the run-off area, an incident also seen by Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin and Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari at Turn 3.
As the session progressed into its second half, both Mercedes drivers switched to soft tyres. Antonelli set his leading time of 1m 07.796s, initially 0.119s clear of Russell, who then narrowed the gap to 0.040s. The session concluded under a red flag when Sergio Perez‘s Cadillac came to a halt on track due to a mechanical issue.
Ferrari, who introduced an engine upgrade for this event, saw Hamilton finish fifth, 0.665 seconds off Antonelli’s pace. Hamilton, who won the previous race in Spain, was heard expressing discontent with his car over the radio. The team has stated that the engine upgrade in Austria is not expected to fully close the power gap to Mercedes, but the question remains whether it, combined with aerodynamic developments from Spain, will allow them to compete effectively on a power-sensitive circuit like the Red Bull Ring, where they have not been competitive this season.
Rookie Performances and Team Preparations
The practice session also featured several rookie drivers. Dino Beganovic, substituting for Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, was the highest-placed rookie, finishing ninth. Arvid Lindblad impressed in sixth for Racing Bulls. Briton Oliver Bearman completed the top 10 in the Haas. Briton Luke Browning had his second consecutive outing for Williams as a reserve driver in Carlos Sainz‘s car, finishing 18th, two places and just over 0.3 seconds behind regular driver Alex Albon. Williams team boss James Vowles described Browning’s effort as “a good effort.”
McLaren opted not to use a new rear wing that was scheduled for the event, deciding it required further preparation. This wing design, similar to those introduced by Ferrari and Red Bull, rotates around an axis to open in straight-line mode, differing from the traditional drag reduction system (DRS) that flips open from the front. The weekend is considered important for Ferrari to assess their ongoing challenge to Mercedes.
Other drivers in the session included Nico Hulkenberg‘s Audi in 11th, followed by Hadjar, Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Ayumu Iwasa (in for Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls), and Alex Albon’s Williams. The field was rounded out by Paul Aron (driving Gabriel Bortoleto‘s Audi), Luke Browning (in Carlos Sainz’s Williams), Ryo Hirakawa (in Esteban Ocon‘s Haas), Jak Crawford (Lance Stroll‘s Aston Martin), Perez, and Alonso. The second practice session is scheduled for later on Friday.
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Source: bbc.co.uk
As NewsGB.org's Sports News Writer, Theo Marsden reports on rugby union, golf and boxing for readers across the country. He began on a regional sports desk in Yorkshire. He holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Hull and completed an NCTJ diploma. Theo lives in Hull, where he follows the European Tour and amateur rugby. “Sport moves fast; readers deserve it right the first time.”