NEWS
Mercedes Sets Benchmarks in First Spielberg Practice
Kimi Antonelli and George Russell are separated by mere thousandths. At least Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen remain in contention.
The initial tentative look at the pecking order for the Austrian Grand Prix suggests an advantage for Mercedes.
After Lewis Hamilton broke Mercedes' winning streak in Barcelona, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell lead the way in the first practice session at Red Bull Ring.
The Italian is just 0.040 seconds ahead of his British teammate.
Problems for Verstappen and Norris
The first chasers are Oscar Piastri (McLaren) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull). The Australian is only 0.117 seconds behind, while the Dutchman is 0.281 seconds down – and that's despite literally struggling to get going in the early phase of practice. He stopped twice in the pit lane with clutch problems.
World Champion and McLaren driver Lando Norris (7th) also only got on track a quarter of an hour before the end of the one-hour session due to a hydraulic leak.
Additionally, several junior drivers are in action. Among the top teams, only Ferrari featured a promising youngster; Sweden's Dino Beganovic replaced Charles Leclerc and finished ninth.
