F1 Results Today: Austrian Grand Prix Practice Times and P…read more
The opening practice session for the 2026 Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix delivered plenty of surprises at the Red Bull Ring, with Mercedes setting the pace while several leading teams battled unexpected technical setbacks.
Young Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli topped the timesheets with an impressive lap of 1:07.796, edging teammate George Russell by just 0.040 seconds to secure a dominant one-two finish for the Silver Arrows in Friday’s first practice.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri completed the top three, only 0.117 seconds behind Antonelli, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen recovered from an eventful session to finish fourth despite suffering technical problems early on.
Verstappen’s car stopped twice in the pit lane during the opening stages due to mechanical issues, forcing his crew to push the RB22 back into the garage for repairs. Fortunately, the Dutchman was able to return later in the session and post a competitive lap.
McLaren also encountered difficulties as reigning world champion Lando Norris remained in the garage for most of the hour because of a hydraulic problem. Norris eventually made it onto the circuit in the closing minutes, ensuring every driver recorded a lap time despite the limited running.
Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar also experienced issues before getting valuable mileage under his belt.
The session featured six rookie drivers replacing regular race drivers as part of Formula 1’s mandatory rookie practice programme. While several newcomers impressed, Haas reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa endured an awkward moment after making contact with one of the team’s pit crew during a pit stop. Thankfully, the crew member escaped without injury.
With soaring temperatures creating difficult conditions for tyre management, many teams focused on gathering data rather than chasing outright pace, leading to constantly changing positions throughout the session.
Lewis Hamilton finished fifth for Ferrari, while Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad produced an eye-catching performance to claim sixth. Ferrari reserve Dino Beganovic also impressed with ninth place, highlighting the strong showing from the young drivers.
As teams continue analysing tyre degradation and fine-tuning their setups ahead of qualifying, the closely matched field suggests another thrilling weekend is in store at the Red Bull Ring.
Austrian Grand Prix FP1 Results
Position Driver Team Gap 1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:07.796 2 George Russell Mercedes +0.040s 3 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.117s 4 Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.281s 5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.665s 6 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +0.930s 7 Lando Norris McLaren +1.077s 8 Franco Colapinto Alpine +1.166s 9 Dino Beganovic Ferrari +1.258s 10 Oliver Bearman Haas +1.275s 11 Nico Hülkenberg Audi +1.369s 12 Isack Hadjar Red Bull +1.685s 13 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac +1.725s 14 Pierre Gasly Alpine +1.750s 15 Ayumu Iwasa Racing Bulls +1.841s 16 Alex Albon Williams +1.848s 17 Paul Aron Audi +1.850s 18 Luke Browning Williams +2.183s 19 Ryo Hirakawa Haas +2.697s 20 Jak Crawford Aston Martin +3.406s 21 Sergio Perez Cadillac +3.487s 22 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin No representative lap time
