Austria practice: Antonelli 1st, Verstappen ahead of Hamilton, Audi steps up

Two key themes in this first free practice session for the traditional Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, beautifully set in Styria: plenty of new developments from the teams and a host of young drivers in action.

Six teams took the opportunity to promote the ‘Youth in Research’ project. As a reminder, each of the 22 regular drivers must sit out one Friday practice session twice a season to allow young drivers to get behind the wheel.

In action at the Red Bull Ring: Ferrari with Dino Beganovic instead of Charles Leclerc, Aston Martin with Jak Crawford instead of Lance Stroll, Racing Bulls with Ayumu Iwasa instead of Liam Lawson, Haas with Ryo Hirakawa instead of Esteban Ocon, Audi with Paul Aron instead of Gabriel Bortoleto and Williams with Luke Browning for Carlos Sainz.

The development race between the teams is in full swing, and the list of new parts for the Grand Prix weekend in Styria is endless.

McLaren have a new swivelling rear wing (on world champion Lando Norris’s car), which is, however, only due to be used in free practice (the wing, not Lando), along with optimised rear brake ventilation.

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26.07.2026 - 17:15

Mercedes has an aerodynamically optimised front suspension cover, along with a narrower air outlet on the engine cover.

Red Bull Racing has a substantial update: differently shaped side pod inlets, resulting in a modified engine cover, a new underbody, a more aerodynamically efficient rear suspension cover, a different rear wing strut and a new exhaust.

Ferrari with newly shaped end plates on the front wing, plus – as an experiment in free practice only – a wind deflector at the front end of the underbody and a different rear-view mirror mount.

The Racing Bulls feature a different diffuser (the rear section of the underbody) as well as a modified exhaust.

Haas with different air intakes for the front brakes, plus optimised vents in the engine cover.

Audi also features numerous improvements: front wing end plates, air-guiding elements in the aerodynamically sensitive area around the front wheels, underbody, air-guiding elements around the rear wheels, rear suspension geometry, rear wing, and an additional wing above the gearbox.

Alpine has a completely new front wing, resulting in a differently shaped nose and modified front suspension geometry, plus a new diffuser.

A massive update for Cadillac: side pods, engine cover, air outlets, wing mirror mount, diffuser, wing – it’s almost a B-spec car.

No upgrades in Austria: Williams and Aston Martin.

Practice began at 29 degrees, with the track at 49 degrees.

A problem for world champion Norris: the Mercedes engineers detected a hydraulic issue whilst warming up the engine, leaving it unclear whether the champion would even be able to take part in the first practice session. In any case, his papaya-coloured car is dismantled in the pits, with the hard-working mechanics busy at work.

Problems for Isack Hadjar and Red Bull Racing too: the Parisian’s car was also stuck in the pits following an engine change.

At the same time, Max Verstappen’s car was pushed back through the pit lane after stalling. The Dutchman on the radio: “Every time I let the clutch out, the anti-stall kicks in.” The anti-stall system is an emergency programme designed to prevent the engine from stalling at low revs.

The two Mercedes driven by championship leader Kimi Antonelli and George Russell (2024 Austrian Grand Prix winner) took the lead.

Haas test driver Hirakawa’s car struck a mechanic on the front left as he approached his pit; fortunately, it was a minor incident, resulting in only grazes.

Alpine driver Franco Colapinto reported a broken left-hand wing mirror. After 15 minutes, Verstappen finally took to the track.

The Australian McLaren driver Oscar Piastri initially compared two different front wings, but was held up: “The brakes are working unevenly, and the pedal travel is also too long.”

After just under half an hour, Cadillac experienced difficulties with Sergio Pérez. The Mexican reported over the radio: “The right-hand side pod fairing is coming loose.” Naturally, the 2023 World Championship runner-up was immediately called into the pits. It’s possible that “Checo” had briefly strayed off the track.

Standings after 30 minutes: Antonelli, Russell, Verstappen, Piastri, Hülkenberg and Hamilton.

Meanwhile, his former Red Bull Racing team-mate Verstappen said: “It’s a strange feeling – the tyres are overheating and offering no grip.”

Barcelona winner Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) groaned: “It’s a real slog out here.” Even the seven-time champion isn’t happy with his car just yet.

On soft tyres, Antonelli beat his own fastest time by seven tenths of a second. Almost at the same time, veteran Alonso ended up in the gravel on the right – that went well again!

Piastri is still struggling with brake problems: “It’s a real lottery as to how much braking deceleration I get.”

Verstappen on the radio again: “The whole car shakes when I brake.”

After just under 40 minutes, Isack Hadjar took to the track for the first time, and Lando Norris has now put on his helmet too.

Barcelona winner Hamilton moved up to P3 behind the two Mercedes, with Verstappen fifth behind the astonishing Arvid Lindblad in the Racing Bulls car.

McLaren managed to sort out the braking issues in Oscar Piastri’s car – 3rd place.

With 14 minutes to go, champion Norris finally took to the track, whilst Verstappen moved up to P4, just behind Piastri. Norris set out to attempt a fast lap on new soft Pirelli tyres.

So the two Mercedes were out front, followed by Piastri, Verstappen and Hamilton, with Lindblad in a very creditable sixth ahead of champion Norris. Best rookie: Ferrari protégé Beganovic in ninth place.

Finally, a red flag: Sergio Perez’s Cadillac had broken down again.