Photo by Jenda Kubeš via Pexels
The Austrian Grand Prix kicked off with an intense Practice 1 session at the Red Bull Ring, where Mercedes’ George Russell set the pace with a fastest lap of 1:05.542.
Close on his heels was Max Verstappen in the Red Bull, just 0.065 seconds behind, followed by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who posted a competitive time within two-tenths of Russell’s best.
The session showcased a tightly packed midfield battle, with drivers pushing hard on the 4.318 km circuit as teams fine-tuned their setups for the weekend ahead.
| Position | Driver | Team | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russell G. | Mercedes | 1:05.542 | – |
| 2 | Verstappen M. | Red Bull | 1:05.607 | +0.065 |
| 3 | Piastri O. | McLaren | 1:05.697 | +0.155 |
| 4 | Dunne A. | McLaren | 1:05.766 | +0.224 |
| 5 | Gasly P. | Alpine | 1:05.780 | +0.238 |
| 6 | Bortoleto G. | Kick Sauber | 1:05.874 | +0.332 |
| 7 | Albon A. | Williams | 1:05.946 | +0.404 |
| 8 | Sainz C. Jr. | Williams | 1:06.017 | +0.475 |
| 9 | Hamilton L. | Ferrari | 1:06.099 | +0.557 |
| 10 | Hadjar I. | Racing Bulls | 1:06.110 | +0.568 |
| 11 | Antonelli K. | Mercedes | 1:06.130 | +0.588 |
| 12 | Hulkenberg N. | Kick Sauber | 1:06.140 | +0.598 |
| 13 | Stroll L. | Aston Martin | 1:06.160 | +0.618 |
| 14 | Alonso F. | Aston Martin | 1:06.170 | +0.628 |
| 15 | Lawson L. | Racing Bulls | 1:06.189 | +0.647 |
| 16 | Colapinto F. | Alpine | 1:06.246 | +0.704 |
| 17 | Tsunoda Y. | Red Bull | 1:06.262 | +0.720 |
| 18 | Beganovic D. | Ferrari | 1:06.369 | +0.827 |
| 19 | Ocon E. | Haas | 1:06.510 | +0.968 |
| 20 | Bearman O. | Haas | 1:06.738 | +1.196 |
