Austrian GP 2026
JUNE 26, 2026
Practice 1 Report - Antonelli leads Mercedes charge
© Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli continued his impressive 2026 Formula 1 campaign by leading a Mercedes one-two in opening practice for the Austrian Grand Prix, while McLaren’s Lando Norris endured another frustrating reliability setback at the Red Bull Ring.
On a scorching afternoon in Spielberg, Antonelli set the benchmark with a 1m07.796s on soft tyres, finishing just 0.040s clear of Mercedes team-mate George Russell, who posted a 1m07.836s as the Silver Arrows immediately underlined their pace.
Russell had initially led the session on medium tyres with laps of 1m10.407s and then 1m09.898s, before Antonelli moved ahead. The more representative comparison came when both drivers switched to softs midway through the hour, with Antonelli’s eventual best proving unbeatable.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finished third with a 1m07.913s despite reporting brake concerns early in the session. Team-mate Norris, however, lost most of the hour to a hydraulic leak on his MCL40 and only emerged during the final 15 minutes. Running exclusively on medium tyres, the world champion could do no better than seventh with a 1m08.873s.
Max Verstappen was fourth for Red Bull on a 1m08.077s after a delayed start caused by suspected clutch issues. The Dutchman also complained of poor grip and balance in Red Bull’s heavily updated RB22, which featured significant aerodynamic revisions.
Lewis Hamilton ended the session fifth for Ferrari with a 1m08.461s, six tenths adrift of Antonelli, while Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad impressed in sixth on a 1m08.726s.
Several teams handed cars over to reserve drivers as part of Formula 1’s mandatory rookie programme. Ferrari’s Dino Beganovic was the standout substitute, finishing ninth with a 1m09.054s, while Paul Aron replaced Gabriel Bortoleto at Audi, Luke Browning deputised for Carlos Sainz at Williams, Ryo Hirakawa stood in for Esteban Ocon at Haas and Jak Crawford drove Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin.
The session remained largely trouble-free until the closing moments when Sergio Perez stopped his Cadillac at Turn 3, effectively bringing proceedings to an early conclusion.
Behind Antonelli, Russell, Piastri, Verstappen and Hamilton came Lindblad, Norris, Franco Colapinto (1m08.962s), Beganovic, Oliver Bearman (1m09.071s), Nico Hulkenberg (1m09.165s), Isack Hadjar (1m09.481s), Valtteri Bottas (1m09.521s), Pierre Gasly (1m09.546s), Ayumu Iwasa (1m09.637s), Alex Albon (1m09.644s), Aron (1m09.646s), Browning (1m09.979s), Hirakawa (1m10.493s), Crawford (1m11.202s), Perez (1m11.283s) and Fernando Alonso (1m11.333s).