Kimi Antonelli was the fastest in the second practice.
Second part of free practice
Sunny. Dry. Air +32°C, track +48…45°C
The hot weather became one of the key factors of the Austrian weekend. The FIA issued an official heat warning, and even in the second practice, which was closer to the evening, drivers and cars had a tough time.
In the first practice, six young drivers were at the wheel, and several drivers faced technical issues, so many had to start all over again in the second session.
The first practice ended under red flags after Sergio Perez's car stopped; the same problem occurred just nine minutes into the second session – the Mexican stopped at turn six, and a virtual safety car was deployed for his Cadillac's evacuation. For Sergio, the practice ended there.
Yellow flags appeared again at the 22nd minute after Lando Norris spun and went off – without consequences for the car.
Soon the second Cadillac also stopped. Bottas complained of smoke in the cockpit and pulled into the pits, where the car was extinguished.
As in the morning, Kimi Antonelli topped the timesheet, completing a lap in 1:07.014. Oscar Piastri set the second-fastest time, just two-tenths behind.
Second part of free practice
Driver
Team
Time
Difference
Laps
1. K.Antonelli
Mercedes
1:07.014
-
31
2. O.Piastri
McLaren
1:07.251
+0.237
31
3. L.Norris
McLaren
1:07.339
+0.325
31
4. M.Verstappen
Red Bull
1:07.564
+0.550
27
5. L.Hamilton
Ferrari
1:07.611
+0.597
32
6. D.Russell
Mercedes
1:07.637
+0.623
24
7. A.Hadjar
Red Bull
1:07.758
+0.744
27
8. C.Leclerc
Ferrari
1:07.855
+0.841
33
9. L.Lawson
Racing Bulls
1:08.235
+1.221
33
10. G.Bortoleto
Audi
1:08.300
+1.286
29
11. P.Gasly
Alpine
1:08.376
+1.362
32
12. A.Lindblad
Racing Bulls
1:08.378
+1.364
28
13. O.Berman
Haas
1:08.532
+1.518
32
14. N.Hulkenberg
Audi
1:08.559
+1.545
31
15. E.Ocon
Haas
1:08.830
+1.816
32
16. F.Colapinto
Alpine
1:08.831
+1.817
28
17. A.Albon
Williams
1:08.838
+1.824
32
18. C.Sainz
Williams
1:09.131
+2.117
29
19. F.Alonso
Aston Martin
1:10.544
+3.530
26
20. L.Stroll
Aston Martin
1:10.698
+3.684
31
21. V.Bottas
Cadillac
1:11.307
+4.293
6
22. S.Perez
Cadillac
-
-
2
First part of free practice
Sunny. Dry. Air +30°C, track +50…51°C
In the first practice, young drivers took the wheel in six teams. The regulations require teams to provide a car to a driver with fewer than two Grand Prix starts four times during the season. This can only be done during a regular weekend, without a Saturday sprint, and the event in Spielberg was perfect for it.
In Aston Martin, Jack Crawford replaced Lance Stroll, in Audi, Paul Aron replaced Gabriel Bortoleto, in Ferrari, Dino Beganovic replaced Charles Leclerc, in Haas F1, Rio Hirakawa replaced Esteban Ocon, in Racing Bulls, Ayumu Iwasa replaced Liam Lawson, and in Williams, Luke Browning took the wheel of Carlos Sainz's car.
Many teams brought updates, focusing on assessing their effectiveness; additionally, cooling systems needed to be adapted to the hot weather that would accompany the weekend. Already at the beginning of the first practice, the asphalt under the nearly cloudless sky heated up to 50°C.
Red Bull faced issues – due to a hydraulic leak, Hadjar's car was in pieces, and Verstappen stopped on the pit lane. "Every time I release the clutch, a system activates that prevents the engine from stalling," Max told the engineer. Later, Verstappen went out – and stopped after a few meters. The car was rolled back into the pits for a few minutes. In the end, Max lost twenty minutes, and Isaac lost half an hour.
Norris's car also had hydraulic issues. The leak could not be fixed quickly, and Lando lost 45 minutes.
Antonelli, Hamilton, Gasly, and Hadjar went off track without consequences for their cars. Piastri complained about the brakes. Perez almost stopped, reporting issues with the power unit, but managed to continue.
Two minutes before the end, the session was stopped with red flags – Perez stopped on the track before the third turn due to technical problems. That concluded the practice.
Mercedes drivers exchanged best laps, taking turns at the top of the timesheet. In the end, Antonelli was faster, completing a lap in 1:07.796 and beating his teammate by four hundredths.
First part of free practice
Driver
Team
Time
Difference
Laps
1. K.Antonelli
Mercedes
1:07.796
-
29
2. D.Russell
Mercedes
1:07.836
+0.040
30
3. O.Piastri
McLaren
1:07.913
+0.117
26
4. M.Verstappen
Red Bull
1:08.077
+0.281
17
5. L.Hamilton
Ferrari
1:08.461
+0.665
25
6. A.Lindblad
Racing Bulls
1:08.726
+0.930
18
7. L.Norris
McLaren
1:08.873
+1.077
9
8. F.Colapinto
Alpine
1:08.962
+1.166
27
9. D.Beganovic
Ferrari
1:09.054
+1.258
26
10. O.Berman
Haas
1:09.071
+1.275
26
11. N.Hulkenberg
Audi
1:09.165
+1.369
30
12. A.Hadjar
Red Bull
1:09.481
+1.685
11
13. V.Bottas
Cadillac
1:09.521
+1.725
21
14. P.Gasly
Alpine
1:09.546
+1.750
28
15. A.Iwasa
Racing Bulls
1:09.637
+1.841
19
16. A.Albon
Williams
1:09.644
Other articles
The solution developed by Ferrari will be banned in 2027.
The Ferrari SF-26 features a number of interesting solutions that are quite difficult to replicate, but one of them will be banned next year...
Antonelli: The heat seriously complicates working with rubber.
If Kimi Antonelli was the fastest in practice in Spielberg, then George Russell only showed the 6th result, but hopes to improve already on Saturday...
The Top Bosch Tool Discounts on Amazon Prime Day 2026
Enjoy discounts of up to 61% on high-precision Bosch power tools, bits, accessories, and more available on Amazon this Prime Day.
Oscar Piastri: We are one step behind Kimi Antonelli.
Oscar Piastri showed the second-best time in Friday's practice in Austria, while his teammate, Lando Norris, was just 0.088 seconds behind him. However, Kimi Antonelli is noticeably ahead of the McLaren drivers.
The New Hyundai Elantra Is Surprisingly Impressive: TDS
Hyundai's compact sedan is undergoing a redesign that features traditional proportions, along with surfacing and lighting inspired by the N Vision 74 supercar.
Formula 2: The pole in Austria was won by Noel Leon.
Noel Leon has already won a couple of races this season, but now the Mexican has added pole position to his achievements...
Kimi Antonelli was the fastest in the second practice.
Kimi Antonelli led the protocol of the first practice in Spielberg...