Hello and welcome to GPblog's live coverage of the final practice session of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. Stay tuned as we bring you every update and key moment as it unfolds from the picturesque Styrian mountains. Friday's running was far from short of drama. From
Red Bull Racing's upgrades failing to deliver the significant step forward many had anticipated, to Cadillac enduring persistent reliability issues, and
Mercedes once again emerging as the team to beat, it was a day that provided a stark indication of the current pecking order despite the flurry of new parts introduced across the grid.
Both practice sessions on Friday were topped by
Kimi Antonelli, with the young Italian seemingly putting the disappointment of Barcelona firmly behind him. Teammate
George Russell finished second in FP1, ahead of
Oscar Piastri, while
Max Verstappen could only manage fourth.
Max Verstappen - Photo: Race Pictures
However, FP2 brought a slight shake-up at the front as temperatures continued to rise. Antonelli once again led the way, but this time Piastri was his closest challenger, with teammate
Lando Norris in third and Verstappen again fourth. Russell, meanwhile, slipped to sixth.
Amid the movement at the top of the timesheets, one thing that remained evident was
Ferrari's struggle for pace.
Lewis Hamilton could do no better than fifth in both sessions, while teammate
Charles Leclerc, who missed FP1, was only able to muster eighth place in FP2.
With teams having had additional time to analyse the data and make adjustments to their setups overnight, the final practice session could yet bring another shift in the competitive order. Who are you backing to set the pace on Saturday morning?
Hamilton pinpoints 'small balance issue' behind Ferrari's difficult Friday in Austria
Hamilton reflected on a "challenging" Friday at the Red Bull Ring, with Ferrari unable to replicate the competitiveness it displayed in Barcelona. The seven-time world champion admitted the Scuderia still has ground to make up after struggling to match the pace of Mercedes and
McLaren across both sessions.
The Briton finished fifth in both FP1 and FP2, ending more than half a second adrift of pacesetter Antonelli on each occasion. Antonelli, meanwhile, appeared to have bounced back emphatically from his late retirement at the Spanish Grand Prix by topping both sessions in Austria.
Speaking after Friday's running, Hamilton described it as a solid but difficult start to the weekend, admitting the hot conditions made an already demanding circuit even tougher. While encouraged by the car's initial feel, the Ferrari driver explained that even minor balance issues were proving extremely costly around the Red Bull Ring, leaving the team with plenty of work to do overnight to improve the setup and unlock more performance ahead of qualifying.