Spielberg: Antonelli leads Piastri in Austrian Grand Prix Friday practice

By Bilal Ahmed

By Bilal Ahmed — 26 June 2026 — 4 min read

Antonelli leads Friday practice

Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes led Oscar Piastri of McLaren in Friday’s practice sessions for the Austrian Grand Prix. Antonelli, who holds a 41-point advantage over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in the world championship standings, was 0.237 seconds faster than Piastri. The second McLaren driver, Lando Norris, secured the third-fastest time, ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Hamilton finished fifth, with the other Mercedes car, driven by George Russell, in sixth position.

McLaren demonstrated competitive race pace, with Norris matching Mercedes’ performance during the long runs towards the end of the session. Russell noted the strong performance of the McLaren cars, particularly Norris’s race pace, which he described as appearing better than Mercedes’. Norris missed a significant portion of the first practice session due to a hydraulic leak. Despite this, Piastri finished the first session in third place, just 0.117 seconds behind Antonelli’s fastest time.

Piastri suggested that Antonelli’s potential might be greater than indicated by the headline times, as his fastest lap in the second session was achieved on his second attempt with soft tyres, when they would have been past their optimal performance. McLaren technical director Neil Houldey also commented that Mercedes, and Antonelli specifically, would be challenging to overcome.

Team performances and challenges

Ferrari introduced an engine upgrade for the weekend, aiming to reduce their power deficit to Mercedes. This follows aerodynamic developments implemented in Barcelona two weeks prior, where Hamilton secured his first victory for the team. However, Ferrari had a subdued day, not yet displaying the pace seen during Hamilton’s win. Hamilton was 0.597 seconds off the leading pace, while his teammate Charles Leclerc was a further 0.244 seconds behind in eighth place, trailing Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar.

Mercedes speculated that Ferrari might be running their new engine conservatively, expecting them to be competitive in qualifying. However, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur downplayed the immediate impact of the upgrade. He noted that the team was only permitted to change the engine under the additional development and upgrade opportunities (ADUO) programme about two weeks prior. Vasseur described Friday as challenging due to conditions like altitude and temperature, which he felt did not suit Ferrari well, and stated the team was far from its potential.

Russell struggled with one-lap pace, being 0.623 seconds slower than Antonelli, but showed strong performance in race-simulation runs. Red Bull also brought a significant upgrade to their car this weekend. Verstappen was 0.55 seconds off the pace, with both he and Hadjar reporting a lack of grip. Hadjar expressed confusion over the car’s behaviour, particularly in a speed range where they typically perform well.

Cadillac experienced a difficult day, with Sergio Perez stopping early due to electronics problems, similar to those encountered in the first session. His teammate, Valtteri Bottas, had to withdraw from the session midway through after sparks were observed coming from the underside of his car. These issues left Cadillac at the bottom of the leaderboard, with neither driver able to return to the track, indicating considerable work ahead before the final practice session on Saturday at 1230 local time, ahead of qualifying at 1500.

Second practice session overview

The second practice session commenced at 1700 local time, with slightly cooler temperatures anticipated at the Spielberg circuit. Several drivers who had given up their seats to rookies in FP1, including Charles Leclerc, returned to the track. Early in the session, Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto were among the first out, but Hulkenberg abandoned his flying lap due to braking issues, suggesting persistent problems from earlier in the day.

McLaren’s Norris initially set the pace on medium compound tyres, posting a time of 1 minute 08.000 seconds, two-tenths faster than his teammate. Sergio Perez’s issues continued despite an ECU change, as he stopped at Turn 6, leading to a Virtual Safety Car. This pause allowed Verstappen to have his seat readjusted after complaining about comfort.

Antonelli soon reclaimed the top spot, becoming the first driver to break into the 1 minute 07 seconds bracket, improving on his FP1 time. Leclerc also improved, moving to fifth ahead of Verstappen, Hamilton, and Hadjar. Cadillac’s troubles persisted, with Bottas reporting smoke in the cockpit before his car caught fire, concluding a frustrating day for the team.

During the soft tyre runs, Piastri briefly held the fastest lap before Antonelli once again surged ahead, ultimately ending Friday’s running on top with a best effort of 1 minute 07.014 seconds. Piastri finished approximately two-tenths behind, with Norris securing third place. Verstappen finished fourth, followed by Hamilton, Russell, and Hadjar. Leclerc completed the top ten, 0.841 seconds off the pace, alongside Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson and Audi’s Bortoleto. The teams and drivers will review their data before Free Practice 3 on Saturday.

Source: bbc.com