Antonelli Leads Mercedes One-Two in Austrian GP Practice
Teenager Kimi Antonelli currently leads the drivers' championship by 41 points over Lewis Hamilton.
In the first practice session at the Austrian Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli secured the fastest time, narrowly ahead of George Russell, resulting in a Mercedes one-two finish. Antonelli, representing Italy, edged out Russell by a mere 0.04 seconds. Oscar Piastri, driving for McLaren, was close behind in third place, just 0.117 seconds off the leading pace. His teammate Lando Norris was seventh fastest after missing approximately 75% of the session due to a hydraulics issue.
Max Verstappen, who ran a significant aerodynamic upgrade on his Red Bull, finished fourth, trailing Antonelli by 0.281 seconds.
Lewis Hamilton, the winner of the previous Spanish Grand Prix and now equipped with an engine upgrade in his Ferrari, was 0.665 seconds slower than the leader. The seven-time world champion expressed dissatisfaction with his car during a brief radio transmission that was broadcast.
Briton Arvid Lindblad secured sixth place for Racing Bulls. Alpine's Franco Colapinto was eighth, positioned ahead of Swedish driver Dino Beganovic, who drove Charles Leclerc's Ferrari. Completing the top ten was Briton Oliver Bearman in the Haas.
Ferrari's Challenge at the Austrian Grand Prix
This weekend holds significant importance for Ferrari as they aim to demonstrate their ability to continue challenging Mercedes. The team has been cautious in stating that the engine upgrade introduced in Austria is insufficient on its own to close the power gap to Mercedes.
The key question remains whether, combined with the aerodynamic developments introduced in Spain, the upgrade will enable Ferrari to compete effectively with Mercedes on a power-sensitive circuit like this one, where they have yet to show competitiveness this season.
Technical Developments and Team Strategies
McLaren opted not to deploy a new rear wing that was initially planned for use, deciding that it required additional preparation. This wing design is similar to those introduced by Ferrari and Red Bull, featuring a mechanism that opens into a straight-line mode by rotating around an axis, as opposed to the traditional drag reduction system (DRS) which flips open from the front to aid overtaking.
Briton Luke Browning made his second consecutive appearance for Williams as reserve driver, taking over Carlos Sainz's car. Browning finished 18th fastest, two places and just over 0.3 seconds behind regular race driver Alex Albon. Team principal James Vowles described this performance as
"a good effort".
