Norris in Austria
Norris in Austria
© XPB Images
LIVE

F1 Austrian GP LIVE: Build up to FP2 after Antonelli fastest in FP1

Live coverage of Friday at the F1 Austrian Grand Prix

KEY MOMENTS

  • Austrian weekend declared a 'Heat Hazard'
  • Antonelli topped FP1 from Russell
  • Norris, Verstappen, Hadjar, and Perez suffered reliability trouble in FP1

The eighth round of the 2026 Formula 1 season takes place at the Austrian Grand Prix.

The Red Bull Ring is a firm favourite among drivers and fans, with the long straights and heavy braking zones providing ample opportunities for overtaking action and, more importantly in the modern era, generating electrical energy back into the batteries.

Mercedes arrives in Austria looking to bounce back from a first defeat of the campaign, with Lewis Hamilton having toppled his former team in Barcelona with the assistance of a significant Ferrari upgrade package. However, Mercedes has been forced to remove some serrated edging on its diffuser in response to an FIA technical directive. While it is speculated that this will cost time, Mercedes believes the matter has been overplayed.

This weekend, it is Red Bull which brings the most new parts to the table, as the team attempts to pull closer to the top three outfits, having dropped back in recent weeks.

McLaren will debut its Macarena wing on Friday, but Lando Norris does not expect this to be raced for a few more weeks yet, with the part still in a developmental phase which, according to the driver, proves his team is approximately three months behind Mercedes and Ferrari in development. 

Six rookie drivers will take to the track in FP1, with Dino Beganovic (Ferrari), Ayumu Iwasa (Racing Bulls), Ryo Hirakawa (Haas), Luke Browning (Williams), Paul Aron (Audi), and Jak Crawford (Aston Martin), all readying for action.

2026 Austrian Grand Prix Friday schedule

FP1 12:30pm BST - 1:30pm BST

FP2: 4:00pm BST - 5:00pm BST

26 Jun 2026
15:43
Welcome back!

We're back! Welcome back to Austria for FP2. It was a Mercedes 1-2 in FP1, but with reliability a huge issue in the earlier session, this may not be a straightforward hour for the 22 drivers. 

14:19
Racing Bulls responds to claim it has signed F2 star for 2027 F1 seat

Racing Bulls responds to claim it has signed F2 star for 2027 F1 seat

Racing Bulls boss Alan Permane has responded to reports that Nikola Tsolov has been guaranteed a seat with the team for the 2027 Formula 1 season. 

Nikola Tsolov has taken to Formula 2 like a duck to water, and sits second in the drivers' standings in his rookie season. 

Full story here...

Driver speculation has made Racing Bulls the centre of attention
Driver speculation has made Racing Bulls the centre of attention
© XPB Images
13:54
F1 Austrian GP: FP1 Report

Kimi Antonelli heads Mercedes 1-2 as Red Bull, Lando Norris hit trouble in F1 Austrian GP first practice

Andrea Kimi Antonelli headed Mercedes team-mate George Russell for a Silver Arrows 1-2 as several Formula 1 rivals hit trouble in opening practice at the Austrian Grand Prix. 

Antonelli, who retired late on in the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix last time out, was just 0.040 seconds quicker than Russell, with Oscar Piastri only 0.117s off the pace for McLaren as he took third. 

Full report here...

Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
13:53
2026 F1 Austrian Grand Prix - Friday Practice Results

2026 F1 Austrian Grand Prix - Friday Practice Results

Kimi Antonelli led the way in free practice one at the Austrian Grand Prix.

In scorching temperatures, Mercedes re-established itself at the top of the time-sheets with Antonelli leading George Russell in a 1-2 for the team. 

Full results here...

Bearman in Austria
Bearman in Austria
© XPB Images
13:34
Austrian GP: FP1 Top 10

The top 10 at the end of FP1 are: 

  1. Antonelli
  2. Russell
  3. Piastri
  4. Verstappen
  5. Hamilton
  6. Lindblad
  7. Norris
  8. Colapinto
  9. Beganovic
  10. Bearman
13:33

A few drivers are sticking around in the cockpits, but most are now out. There might be a mad scramble if they are allowed to do the practice starts.

13:32

The clock ticks down to zero, and drivers will likely not get to complete practice starts. They can't be performed at the pit exit as would normally be the case, limiting them to post-session attempts on the grid. No word from the FIA on whether these will happen, but drivers are out of the cars. 

13:30
RED FLAG

The red flags are shown to allow Perez's car to be recovered. 

13:29

For the second time in the session, Perez loses the electrics and crawls to a halt. Unlike last time, he can't get going again. He has stopped on the run up to Turn 3. 

13:27

Lots of flow-vis paint on the rear wing of Verstappen's Red Bull. Old softs on the car, and he's on more of a race run. 

13:24

Hadjar is complaining about the balance of his Red Bull, describing it as "a mess". 

13:24

Of the rookie runners, Beganovic is the fastest in P9. 

13:23

With all 22 drivers having set times, including Norris who is in P7, the Aston Martin drivers are slowest, with Alonso in P21 - 3.5s off the pace - and rookie Crawford slowest, 4.4s back. 

13:17
Norris joins the track

With little under 15 minutes remaining in FP1, Norris finally hits the track for the first time this weekend. Sadly, McLaren elected against running its Macarena wing, although that will be the least of Norris's concerns right now. 

13:16

A flier from Piastri moves him to 0.117s off Antonelli in P3.

13:14

On his most recent run, a first on softs, Hamilton moves up to P3. Lindblad is currently impressing in P4, as Hadjar takes a trip across the run-off at Turn 1. Antonelli follows him off a few moments later.

13:08

P13 with Hadjar's first effort. He's some way off Verstappen's opening gambit, but the simple fact that he's out on the track is the main thing. 

13:06

Hadjar is finally out on the track. On soft tyres immediately, he's pushing on. 

13:03

A standout performance right now is Beganovic in P6, just ahead of Hamilton. Or he was. As we type, Hamilton reverses the positions. Whatever, it remains an impressive showing from the Ferrari rookie. 

13:02
Top 10

A little over halfway through the session, here is the top 10. 

  1. Antonelli
  2. Russell
  3. Verstappen
  4. Piastri
  5. Hulkenberg
  6. Beganovic
  7. Hamilton
  8. Lindblad
  9. Bearman
  10. Gasly
13:01

1m07.796s for Antonelli moves him around 0.7s clear of his previous benchmark. Russell goes 0.119s slower, but Mercedes has an advantage of around one second to the next fastest driver - Max Verstappen. 

13:00

Purple sectors from Antonelli with Russell slower, but not by much. 

12:59

Out come the Mercedes duo on soft tyres. Verstappen is now complaining about having no grip, with his tyres feeling like they're constantly overheating. 

With temperatures of over 50 °C on the track, this is hardly a surprise. 

12:58

The Mercedes drivers are back in the garage, as Hamilton suffers a huge lock-up into Turn 3, locking both fronts and sending smoke signals as he runs massively wide. 

12:53

Piastri reports a long brake pedal. That's at least a normal problem! 

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