The Austrian Grand Prix weekend opened with a sharp contrast at the Red Bull Ring. Mercedes looked calm, quick and immediately in range. Their main rivals spent the morning chasing problems. Kimi Antonelli set the FP1 pace with a 1:07.796, leading George Russell by 0.040s as Mercedes completed a 1-2. Oscar Piastri kept McLaren close in 3rd, but Lando Norris lost 45 minutes to a hydraulic leak and never completed a meaningful soft-tyre run. Max Verstappen recovered to 4th after two early pit-lane stoppages linked to stall prevention and software trouble. Isack Hadjar lost roughly half the session after Red Bull changed his engine. Sergio Perez caused the only red flag when his Cadillac stopped at Turn 3 in the closing minute, preventing teams from completing practice starts.
Mercedes Controls The Morning Before Rivals Settle
Antonelli did not need a spectacular lap to give Mercedes control of FP1. He needed a clean one, and he delivered it at a circuit where small margins can carry real weight. Russell’s matching pace proved Antonelli’s flyer was no fluke.
The Mercedes pair looked settled through a short lap that punishes hesitation. The Red Bull Ring asks drivers to attack heavy braking zones at Turns 3 and 4, ride aggressive kerbs and still protect the rear tyres on exit. Mercedes handled that balance better than anyone in the morning session.
Their programme also looked efficient. While Red Bull and McLaren dealt with interruptions, Mercedes completed useful work without sacrificing outright speed.
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, later said the team had made “a good improvement” compared with recent seasons at the circuit, and FP1 supported that view. The car was not just quick over one lap. It looked usable.
Red Bull Loses Its Clean Upgrade Read
Red Bull arrived at its home race with a major update package on the RB22. The race weekend technical submissions listed changes around the sidepod inlet, engine cover, floor, floor edge, rear suspension, rear corner, rear wing and exhaust area. FP1 should have been about correlation, comparison runs and driver confidence.
Instead, the session became a recovery exercise. Verstappen stopped twice in the pit lane during the opening 20 minutes. Hadjar’s car needed a late engine change before he could complete proper running. One car sat idle while the other battled software issues and drivability complaints.
Verstappen still dragged the car to 4th, 0.281s behind Antonelli, but the timing screen did not tell the full story. The more troubling sign came over the radio when Verstappen complained that “the whole car is shaking under braking.” For Red Bull, that was a warning about feel, not just speed. Turn 3 became a clear concern because braking stability and traction out of that corner shape the entire lap.
Hadjar’s lost running added another layer to the problem. Red Bull needed both cars to feed data into a changed package. Instead, the team left FP1 short of evidence on a weekend where every lap matters.
McLaren And Ferrari Leave FP1 With Unfinished Work
Frustration defined McLaren’s morning before recovery became possible. Norris spent most of FP1 in the garage while the team addressed a hydraulic leak. He eventually returned late in the session, but the red flag prevented him from completing the soft-tyre run he needed.
Piastri gave McLaren a much cleaner baseline. He finished 3rd, only 0.117s behind Antonelli, despite earlier concern over brake-pedal consistency. That mattered because it kept McLaren inside the lead fight even while Norris lost track time.
Ferrari’s FP1 picture was also incomplete. Lewis Hamilton finished 5th, while Charles Leclerc missed the session as Dino Beganovic took over his car for one of Ferrari’s required rookie practice outings. Beganovic made strong use of the opportunity and finished 9th, the best of the rookie runners.
Ferrari also arrived with its latest power-unit update listed in the technical paperwork. Still, the morning did not provide a complete read. Hamilton had solid pace, but the high track temperature and the heavy braking demands of Spielberg left Ferrari with balance work to finish before qualifying.
FP2 Turns The Fight Into A Clearer Chase
The afternoon brought a cleaner competitive picture, but it did not change the reference point. Antonelli topped FP2 as well with a 1:07.014, confirming that Mercedes’ morning pace was not a one-session spike.
McLaren responded strongly. Piastri finished 2nd, 0.237s behind Antonelli, while Norris recovered to 3rd after his disrupted FP1. That was an important reset for McLaren, especially because Norris needed laps more than headlines. Still, their strong FP2 does not fully mask the morning’s issues. Lost running can return later through weaker tyre preparation, reduced long-run data and less confidence in traffic.
Red Bull’s afternoon offered signs of improvement without removing the pressure. Verstappen remained close enough to be relevant, but the team still had to understand whether its upgrade package could deliver over a qualifying lap. Hadjar also needed to rebuild a programme that had been badly interrupted before lunch.
Cadillac’s Friday worsened across both sessions. Perez stopped at Turn 3 in FP1, then stopped again at Turn 6 in FP2 after the team had changed the ECU between sessions. Valtteri Bottas also reported smoke in the cockpit before returning to the pits, where the team had to deal with a fire on the floor of his car.
Mercedes Puts The Pressure On Before Qualifying
Nobody scores points on Friday, but Mercedes clearly established itself as the team to beat heading into qualifying. Antonelli topped both sessions, Russell backed up the early pace, and the team completed its work with far fewer interruptions than its rivals.
Red Bull has the most urgent overnight task. Its upgraded car showed enough raw pace to remain dangerous, but Verstappen and Hadjar both lacked the smooth running needed to attack qualifying with confidence. McLaren looked healthier by the afternoon, especially through Piastri, although Norris still had to recover the rhythm lost in FP1.
Ferrari remains close enough to matter, but not close enough to relax. The Red Bull Ring compresses the field, and small balance errors can decide several grid positions. Mercedes has the cleanest foundation. The chasing teams now have to prove their Friday problems were temporary.
READ MORE: Cadillac Brings Major Upgrades to Austria, but Finishing the Race Is the Real Test
FAQs
Who topped Austrian GP practice?
Kimi Antonelli topped both Friday practice sessions for Mercedes at the Red Bull Ring.
What happened to Lando Norris in FP1?
Norris lost most of FP1 because McLaren had to address a hydraulic leak.
Why was Red Bull under pressure after FP1?
Red Bull lost key running after Verstappen had pit-lane stoppages, and Hadjar needed an engine change.
Who finished closest to Antonelli in FP2?
Oscar Piastri finished 2nd in FP2, 0.237s behind Antonelli.
Why did Mercedes look strong in Austria?
Mercedes completed clean running, showed pace over one lap, and avoided the major reliability issues that hit rivals.
