Kimi Antonelli fastest in Austrian Grand Prix FP1 as McLaren and Red Bull face issues

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Though the Austrian Grand Prix may be Red Bull Racing’s home event, it was the Mercedes duo of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell topping the charts after Free Practice 1.

Several teams, including Ferrari and Red Bull, brought a handful of upgrades to the power-sensitive Red Bull Ring as they attempt to topple the dominant Mercedes team and championship leader Kimi Antonelli.

Nearly the full field made quick work of hitting the track as soon as the pit lane opened to kick off the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, including several rookies: Dino Beganovic (Ferrari, Charles Leclerc), Ayumu Iwasa (Racing Bulls, Liam Lawson), Luke Browning (Williams, Carlos Sainz), Ryo Hirakawa (Haas, Esteban Ocon), Paul Aron (Audi, Gabriel Bortoleto), and Jak Crawford (Aston Martin, Lance Stroll).

Mercedes top the charts again in FP1 for Austrian Grand Prix

Neither Red Bull, however, managed to make it out in the earliest stages; Max Verstappen complained of a clutch issue while Isack Hadjar failed to pull out of the pit lane with no drive.

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Verstappen attempted to leave the pits once again and unfortunately needed to be wheeled back. Just over 46 minutes remained in the session. The McLarens, too, rested in the pit lane. Reigning champion Lando Norris suffered from hydraulic issues.

With a heat wave sweeping over Europe, a heat hazard warning has been issued for the weekend, meaning that each team is allowed to run a higher weight in order to fit drivers with cooling vests.

“Brake pedal feels very long and inconsistent,” Oscar Piastri reported when he hit the track. Later in the session, he reported that it felt like a “lottery” as to whether or not the pedal would work when he pressed it.

As the session neared the halfway point, we had two familiar faces at the top of the charts: the Mercedes duo of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. Trailing just behind was Verstappen; the Red Bull team’s upgrades looked strong once the car was able to hit the track, displaying what was possible with the soft tyre as the first driver to run them. However, he also reported that the car was “shaking” as he cycled the track.

In a recurring issue, Sergio Perez reported that some bodywork had come loose on the Cadillac. In Turn 4 with 15 minutes remaining in the session, he also reported losing ignition. The Mexican racer was indeed able to restart the machine before it caused too many problems.

The first yellow flag of the session turned into a red, which came out with just over 90 seconds remaining; it was Perez, who had come to a stop just off the racing line.

The incident brought Free Practice 1 to a premature end, leaving Antonelli unchallenged at the top of the timing sheets.