12:45
Bad news for Red Bull. The floor needs to come off Verstappen's car. With significant upgrades, this is the last thing that Red Bull needs. Both cars are stuck in the garage.
Austria, Grid
© XPB Images
LIVE
F1 Austrian GP LIVE: Antonelli tops FP1 as reliability problems strike rivals
Live coverage of Friday at the F1 Austrian Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Austrian weekend declared a 'Heat Hazard'
- Six rookie drivers will feature in FP1
- McLaren to debut its Macarena wing
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
12:43
In comes Hirakawa again. He stops on the marks this time. All personnel are safe.
12:41
McLaren update
A statement from McLaren on Norris's problems. "We're currently investigating a hydraulic leak which may delay Lando going out"
12:39
A bizarre one. Hirakawa at Haas has hit one of his mechanics when returning to the pits. He went long in the pit box and struck the team member. Good news is that the mechanic appears to be fine.
12:37
Other than Norris, Hadjar and Verstappen, all 19 other drivers have completed at least an installation lap. Antonelli has set the early pace with a 1m09.119s from Russell. But as ever, as the track rubbers up, the times will fall.
12:35
Now Russell reports a 'weird' throttle feeling compared to last week. What is going on out there?
12:34
Verstappen has also now stopped in the pit lane and is being wheeled back. "Every time I release the clutch I get anti-stall," he reports. That could be another lengthy fix.
12:33
Hadjar in trouble
Hadjar's car has the floor off, it's up on stilts, fluid is being taken out and the power unit removed. That car will almost certainly not feature in FP1.
12:32
Great news for Luke Browning, as unlike in Barcelona, he manages to escape the garage and take to the track. His installation lap is complete.
12:30
FP1 Begins
The green light shows at the end of the pit lane, and the session is go!
12:30
Norris in trouble
Oh dear, a problem for Norris already. The Mercedes engineers were not happy with something on fire-up. The floor is off, and this could be a long fix.
12:25
The alert that always causes us to chuckle, a 0% chance of rain for FP1. I suspect the bright blue skies made that one slightly obvious.
12:25
Just over five minutes remain before FP1 begins in Austria. The track is a deceptively simple one, with tiny errors carrying a heavy price. Expect plenty of lockups into Turn 3 at the top of the hill, and on the way back down into Turn 4. Those are also the two key overtaking spots to watch on Sunday.
12:12
We're here for the continuing Antonelli prank war with Mercedes. This time, the team struck back against the championship leader!
12:06
A key question on everyone's lips this weekend is, 'Will Mercedes be able to cope with the heat?'
Allow me to explain, the consistent battery issues that have struck the Mercedes-powered teams are thought to have been caused by increased temperatures, most commonly through following another car too closely for too long.
However, with the 30C+ air temperatures expected across the weekend, this will provide a serious test for the systems.
11:56
FIRST LOOK: McLarenâs âexperimentalâ rear wing breaks cover at F1 Austrian GP
FIRST LOOK: McLarenâs âexperimentalâ rear wing breaks cover at F1 Austrian GP
McLarenâs âexperimental rear wingâ has broken cover in the Formula 1 paddock at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Ahead of this weekendâs race, McLaren confirmed it would be debuting its own version of the so-called âupside-downâ or âMacarenaâ rear wing that was first pioneered by Ferrari.
McLaren's 'experimental' rear wing (image: Adam Cooper)
11:54
A fun thing to look out for in FP1 will be McLaren's version of the Macarena wing, which makes its debut this weekend. The team won't be racing with the part on Sunday, but it will be visible in the coming hour.
11:45
Mercedes forced to alter controversial diffuser after rival F1 team scrutiny
Mercedes forced to alter controversial diffuser after rival F1 team scrutiny
Mercedes has been forced to tweak its diffuser ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix after rival F1 teams questioned the legality of the design.
As part of its first major upgrade package of the 2026 season that was introduced at the Canadian Grand Prix, Mercedes debuted a unique diffuser solution that featured serrated edges resembling spike-like teeth.
Rear-end of the Mercedes W17 (image: Adam Cooper)
11:39
The drivers stepping in for an hour of action are Dino Beganovic (Ferrari), Ayumu Iwasa (Racing Bulls), Ryo Hirakawa (Haas), Luke Browning (Williams), Paul Aron (Audi), and Jak Crawford (Aston Martin).
Making way will be Charles Leclerc, Liam Lawson, Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Lance Stroll.
11:33
Good morning!
Hello and welcome to a sweltering Red Bull Ring ahead of FP1 for the Austrian Grand Prix. The heat is up, the sun tans are coming along nicely, and the ice creams are being consumed by the dozen. But enough about my day!
The on-track action is set to feature six rookies in the opening session, with Ferrari, Haas, Aston Martin, Racing Bulls, Williams, and Audi all fielding alternative line-ups.