Antonelli leads the first free practice at the Austrian GP; Bortoleto gives seat at Audi to reserve driver
Mercedes began its participation in the Austrian Grand Prix with an outstanding performance in the first free practice this Friday. Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the best time, recording 1m07s796, and surpassed his teammate, George Russell, as well as Oscar Piastri, from McLaren, who completed the main trio. Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto did not participate in this session, giving up his seat at Audi to Paul Aron, a measure that complies with Formula 1 regulations to give experience to drivers who have competed in less than two GPs in the category.
In addition to Audi, several other teams took advantage of the initial training session to put their young talents on the track, providing valuable mileage in a Formula 1 car. Drivers such as Jak Crawford (Aston Martin), Rio Hirakawa (Haas), Ayumu Iwasa (Racing Bulls), Dino Beganovic (Ferrari) and Luke Browning (Williams) had the chance to show their potential.
Starting drivers Lance Stroll, Esteban Ocon, Liam Lawson, Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz and Gabriel Bortoleto are expected to resume their positions in the second practice, scheduled for noon (Brasília time).
The event in Austria marks the first weekend under a new extreme heat protocol in Formula 1. With temperatures forecast to exceed 31C at the Spielberg Circuit, teams have been instructed to implement additional cooling equipment in their cars. This requirement underlines the growing concern about the safety and performance of vehicles in adverse weather conditions, adding an extra technical and strategic challenge to teams.
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Mercedes demonstrated superiority from the start, with Antonelli quickly overtaking Russell. The pair maintained the lead consistently, both on medium and soft tires. The fight for third position was intense, involving Max Verstappen, who faced initial difficulties leaving the pits, and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad. However, Oscar Piastri managed to secure third place in the final moments.
The one who closed the top 5 was Lewis Hamilton. He, who was behind rookie Dino Beganovic, who was driving Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, managed to improve his laps after switching to soft tires at the end of the session. The Italian team introduced an updated engine for this GP, benefiting from the ADUO program, an F1 initiative to balance performance between power unit manufacturers and encourage fiercer competition.
Difficulties and incidents in the inaugural training session
George Russell led the start of practice on the medium tyres. Antonelli, who was initially 0s6 behind, quickly overtook him in the opening minutes. Although Russell managed to close the gap to 0s042 in a subsequent attempt, the Englishman was unable to regain the lead, and Antonelli, in turn, recorded even better times, extending his advantage.
McLaren had a difficult start, with Lando Norris remaining in the pits due to a hydraulic problem in his car, which was dismantled. He only entered the track with 12 minutes remaining and, using medium tires, recorded the seventh best time. Piastri, although without the same level of problem, reported inconsistencies in his car’s brake pedals.
Red Bull Racing also faced a series of setbacks during the session. Max Verstappen stopped in the pitlane twice, reporting that his car stopped when activating the clutch, and had to be pushed back to the garage. He only managed to get on track halfway through practice, but quickly moved up to third best lap time on soft tyres. His colleague, Isack Hadjar, only left the pits less than 25 minutes before the end. In the final moments, Sergio Pérez almost stopped on the track after a blackout in his Cadillac and subsequently stopped for good in the final minute of training, which resulted in a red flag.
