George Russell led FP1 in the F1 Austrian GP weekend with a 1:05.542, with Max Verstappen in second and Oscar Piastri close behind.
Before we get started
F1 is back in Europe at the famous Red Bull Ring for the 2025 F1 Austrian GP, after a short break in Montreal for the Canadian GP.
Consequently, teams faced the Red Bull Ring’s compact 4.318-kilometre layout, whose flowing bends and pronounced elevation changes reward traction, precise braking and confidence over kerbs. This circuit represents a marked contrast to the flat, chicane-laden Circuit Gilles Villeneuve; therefore, every minute of practice promised invaluable data.
Before the session commenced, Ferrari unveiled a revised floor and diffuser on the SF-25. Engineers fitted an aero rake to gather pressure-map imagery, hoping to verify early-season wind-tunnel predictions. Meanwhile, McLaren ceded Lando Norris’s cockpit to Irish Formula 2 leader Alex Dunne for the Briton’s mandatory rookie outing, while Ferrari entrusted Dino Beganovic with Charles Leclerc’s seat for the Swede’s second FP1 appearance of 2025.
Green light
When the lights turned green, drivers streamed from the pit lane without hesitation. Lewis Hamilton, eager to gauge Ferrari’s updated underbody, led the order on an installation run. Immediately, Max Verstappen locked a front wheel at Turn 3; nevertheless, he recovered swiftly and resumed his programme. Merely ten minutes later, Mercedes pair George Russell and Kimi Antonelli began their first soft-tyre flyers. Russell registered 1 min 06.139 sec, while Antonelli trailed by two-tenths.
However, Hamilton reported gearbox concerns and returned to the garage, forcing Ferrari to remove the floor for inspection. Likewise, Beganovic sat idle until technicians re-secured the upgraded package. A brief yellow flag then appeared as Fernando Alonso pirouetted through the final bend on cold tyres, underscoring early treachery.
Nearing the Finish
Notwithstanding those dramas, Russell continued to lower the reference time. At the halfway mark he produced a purple-sector lap of 1 min 05.542 sec. Verstappen answered immediately, yet he remained 0.065 sec adrift. Oscar Piastri, exploiting McLaren’s momentum from Canada, slotted third.
Meanwhile, Dunne impressed observers by vaulting to fourth on the soft compound, neatly splitting Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Aston Martin stand-in Gabriel Bortoleto. Despite heavy traffic, the rookie remained only six-hundredths shy of Piastri, thereby reinforcing the strength of McLaren’s MCL40 on short runs.
Conversely, Haas endured a difficult stanza. Esteban Ocon locked the front axle into Turn 1 and escaped through the tarmac run-off, while Oliver Bearman languished twentieth and over one second slower than the benchmark. Yuki Tsunoda likewise wrestled with AlphaTauri’s balance, explaining seventeenth position.
Final 10 minutes
With fifteen minutes remaining, light rain flecked visors and Russell warned of diminishing grip. Yet the field persisted on soft tyres. Beganovic finally emerged and completed a representative lap, whereas Hamilton re-joined and vaulted to ninth despite limited mileage. McLaren’s garage provided unexpected entertainment when a spilled drink doused Norris and team principal Andrea Stella, although the pair maintained good humour while monitoring Dunne’s telemetry.
As the chequered flag drew nearer, Antonelli voiced frustration over persistent traffic that relegated him from provisional second to eleventh. Nonetheless, Mercedes could still celebrate Russell’s table-topping effort. Behind him, Verstappen secured second ahead of Piastri, whose consistency continued McLaren’s encouraging trend.
Full Results:
- G. Russell
- M. Verstappen
- O. Piastri
- A. Dunne
- P. Gasly
- G. Bortoleto
- A. Albon
- C. Sainz
- L. Hamilton
- I. Hadjar
- K. Antonelli
- N. Hülkenberg
- L. Stroll
- F. Alonso
- L. Lawson
- F. Colapinto
- Y. Tsunoda
- D. Beganovic
- E. Ocon
- O. Bearman
