Championship Leader Kimi Antonelli set the pace early during a rookie-filled opening practice session at the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver’s 1:07.796 was enough to clear his championship rival and team-mate George Russell. Closely behind them was Oscar Piastri, who was a tenth off the pace out front.
As the pit lane lights went green for the first time in Austria, Ferrari’s Dino Beganovic was the first on track. The Swedish driver was one of six rookies taking part in the first practice session at the Red Bull Ring.
Early drama unfolded for McLaren and Red Bull, as both experienced hydraulic issues. Reigning World Champion. Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar were nowhere to be seen at the start of the session. Both cars were investigated by their respective teams, aiming for a late session return and crucial track time.
Max Verstappen also experienced a similar issue to his rival and team-mate. The Dutchman stopped in the pit lane twice when trying to get to the circuit, prompting the Red Bull team to find a solution.
“Every time I release the clutch, I get anti-stall,” Verstappen explained to his Red Bull team
Importantly, Red Bull was able to get Verstappen onto the circuit with over 30 minutes left in the session. On his first flying laps, the four-time Champion moved his Red Bull narrowly behind the Mercedes duo. However, his lap time was set on the soft compound. Compared to the pace set on medium tyres from Mercedes.
With 30 minutes remaining in the session, it was championship leader Antonelli who led the field, ahead of his team-mate Russell. Verstappen and Piastri were a second adrift of the flying Mercedes duo in third and fourth.
Final 20 minutes of FP1
Meanwhile, there was good news in the pit lane for Hadjar, who was able to join the session with just over 20 minutes remaining. But Norris was still stuck in the McLaren garage, yet to set a time in the session.
Looking at the rookies, Ayumu Iwasa was the highest-performing driver on the circuit. With 15 minutes remaining in the session, the Racing Bulls driver was 11th, 1.8 seconds off the pace of Antonelli. Closely behind him was Ferrari’s Beganovic, who makes it back-to-back FP1 sessions in F1.
Sergio Perez lost ignition mid-way through one of his flying laps. But the Mexican was able to continue and make his way back to the pit lane, for Cadillac.
In good news for Norris and McLaren, the reigning World Champion finally made his way onto the circuit. After missing the majority of the session, Norris partook in the final 14 minutes, aiming to make up for his crucial lost time in the session.
On Norris’ first representative lap, the Briton was seventh. A second off the pace of Antonelli on soft tyres at the front of the field, and around nine tenths behind his team-mate Piastri.
The session ended under red flag conditions as a struggling Sergio Perez came to a halt in the middle of the circuit. The Cadillac driver had been experiencing power issues throughout the session, and was unable to make his way back to the pit-lane.
At the session’s end, it was Mercedes who once again topped a free practice session early in the weekend. Antonelli and Russell look to be in a league of their own this weekend, potentially grabbing crucial championship points.
READ MORE: Formula 1 2026 Austrian GP – FP1 results
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