Verstappen and Hamilton miss out as Russell, Piastri lead FIA list for Austria

The FIA has released the list of drivers scheduled to attend the press conference ahead of Thursday’s media day, with Mercedes driver Russell and Piastri joined by several other drivers. Hamilton and Verstappen, however, will instead fulfil other media commitments in the paddock, alongside a number of drivers absent from the press conference line-up.

The first group of drivers is scheduled to speak to the media at 14:30 local time (13:30 BST) and includes Pierre Gasly, Isack Hadjar and Piastri. The second group will follow at 15:00 local time (14:00 BST), with Nico Hülkenberg, Sergio Perez, and Russell all set to take centre stage.

The traditional team principals’ press conference, which takes place following the opening practice session on Friday, is scheduled for 15:30 local time (14:30 BST). The session will feature Dario Marrafuschi (Pirelli), Laurent Mekies (Red Bull) and James Vowles (Williams).

The race at the Styrian mountain is scheduled to take place from Friday, 26 June to Sunday, 28 June. The weekend will feature three practice sessions, unlike the single practice session seen at Sprint weekends such as Miami and Canada.

The action begins on Friday 26 June, with Free Practice 1 running from 13:30 to 14:30 local time (12:30–13:30 BST). The day’s running will then continue with Free Practice 2, which takes place between 17:00 and 18:00 local time (16:00–17:00 BST).

Saturday 27 June marks the second day of on-track action and features the first competitive session of the weekend. The day begins with Free Practice 3 from 12:30 to 13:30 local time (11:30–12:30 BST). Qualifying for Sunday’s race follows later in the afternoon, running from 16:00 to 17:00 local time (15:00–16:00 BST).

The weekend reaches its climax on Sunday, with the Austrian Grand Prix scheduled to take place between 15:00 and 17:00 local time (14:00–16:00 BST).

Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, tyre supplier Pirelli has added a fresh strategic twist for teams with the announcement of the compounds selected for the race at the Red Bull Ring.

For this weekend, the tyre supplier has opted for the softest compounds in its range. At Spielberg, teams will have access to the C3, C4 and C5 tyres. Explaining the decision, Pirelli highlighted that tyre wear is not usually a decisive factor in Austria, with degradation often driven more by thermal effects than pure abrasion.

The circuit’s older asphalt, featuring high levels of both micro- and macro-roughness, increases heat build-up in the tyres. Combined with the track characteristics, this makes the Austrian venue, which first hosted a Grand Prix in 1970, a fast, stop-start layout defined by heavy braking zones, strong acceleration phases, and significant elevation changes. The circuit also sits around 660 metres above sea level, adding another variable to performance considerations.