Antonelli leads in Austria FP1 from Russell and Piastri

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What is F1 TV?F1 GlossaryGet involved2026 RegulationsNewsVideosAntonelli leads in Austria FP1 from Russell and PiastriAS IT HAPPENED: Follow First Practice in AustriaBettingOur expert guide to in-race betting in AustriaNorris admits McLaren are ‘three months behind’ rivalsPlay2:41'P3 was great but we need to do a lot better' - Still work to do for Norris after Barcelona podium 3:11'The most important thing is how you bounce back' - Antonelli dealing with Barcelona disappointment Alexander AlbonFernando AlonsoKimi AntonelliOliver BearmanGabriel BortoletoValtteri BottasFranco ColapintoPierre GaslyIsack HadjarLewis HamiltonNico HulkenbergLiam LawsonCharles LeclercArvid LindbladLando NorrisEsteban OconSergio PerezOscar PiastriGeorge RussellCarlos SainzLance StrollMax VerstappenAll Drivers Hall of FameTeamsChevron DropdownAlpineAston MartinAudiCadillacFerrariHaas F1 TeamMcLarenMercedesRacing BullsRed Bull RacingWilliamsAll TeamsFantasy & GamingChevron DropdownF1 Sim RacingFantasyF1 25F1 Manager 24F1 PredictF1 ClashF1 Members' AreaMenuFIA if(window.f1MobileDetection.iOSSafari) { var meta = document.createElement("meta"); meta.name = "apple-itunes-app"; meta.content = "app-id=835022598, app-argument=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-sets-the-pace-in-free-practice-1-from-russell-and-piastri-as-mercedes-dominate-ahead-of-austrian-gp.3KQzRZKdP5gbERaPBKH7rP.3KQzRZKdP5gbERaPBKH7rP"; document.head.appendChild(meta); } {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-sets-the-pace-in-free-practice-1-from-russell-and-piastri-as-mercedes-dominate-ahead-of-austrian-gp.3KQzRZKdP5gbERaPBKH7rP","url":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-sets-the-pace-in-free-practice-1-from-russell-and-piastri-as-mercedes-dominate-ahead-of-austrian-gp.3KQzRZKdP5gbERaPBKH7rP","mainEntityOfPage":"https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/antonelli-sets-the-pace-in-free-practice-1-from-russell-and-piastri-as-mercedes-dominate-ahead-of-austrian-gp.3KQzRZKdP5gbERaPBKH7rP","datePublished":"2026-06-26T12:45:46.789Z","dateModified":"2026-06-26T12:45:46.789Z","headline":"2026 Austrian Grand Prix FP1 report and highlights: Kimi Antonelli sets the pace in Free Practice 1 from team mate George Russell and Oscar Piastri as Mercedes dominate ahead of Austrian Grand Prix","author":"F1","description":"Kimi Antonelli set the pace in Free Practice 1 for the Austrian Grand Prix, beating team mate George Russell as the Mercedes pair headed McLaren's Oscar Piastri at the Red Bull Ring.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://media.formula1.com/image/upload/t_16by9Centre/f_auto/q_auto/v1782476792/fom-website/2026/Austria/GettyImages-2283412512.jpg"},"isAccessibleForFree":"true","publisher":{"@type":"SportsOrganization","@id":"https://www.formula1.com#organization","name":"Formula 1","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://www.formula1.com/etc/designs/fom-website/social/f1-default-share.jpg","width":"480","height":"120"}}}FP1Austria2026Antonelli sets the pace in Free Practice 1 from Russell and Piastri as Mercedes dominate ahead of Austrian GPSix rookies stepped in for Free Practice 1 as Kimi Antonelli topped the leaderboard in Austria. Kimi Antonelli set the pace in Free Practice 1 for the Austrian Grand Prix, beating team mate George Russell as the Mercedes pair headed McLaren's Oscar Piastri at the Red Bull Ring. Antonelli, who leads the Drivers' standings by 41 points, posted a 1m 07.796s which left the Italian teenager just 0.040s clear of Russell, with Piastri best of the rest and one-tenth further back. A queue formed at the end of the pit lane even before the track opened at 1330 local time, as nearly the entire field – which also comprised of six rookie drivers – headed out in the opening minutes to either perform installation laps or begin gaining valuable data as the temperature climbed. One driver unable to make it out on track though was Max Verstappen, the Dutchman's Red Bull coming to a stop in the pit lane before being wheeled back to the garage as the four-time World Champion complained his car kept dropping into anti-stall. An attempt to get out on track 15 minutes later resulted in the same outcome, with Red Bull enduring a difficult session as Isack Hadjar was also unable to head out until just 24 minutes remained due to car issues. A hydraulic leak also hampered reigning World Champion Lando Norris, with the McLaren driver confined to the garage until the final 14 minutes. FORMULA 1 LENOVO AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 2026 Russell soon occupied the top of the times with a 1m 10.407s, but the Mercedes driver stated over the radio that the "throttle pedal feels weird compared to last week", before Antonelli bested his effort with a 1m 09.119s on the medium Pirelli tyre. The championship leader soon suffered a lock-up at Turn 1 and took to the run-off area, as did Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton at Turn 3. The Mercedes drivers continued to trade fastest laps in their own personal duel, Russell setting a 1m 08.898s before his Italian team mate responded with a 1m 08.448s. Verstappen was finally able to hit the track after the 20-minute mark and became the first driver to use the soft tyre, jumping up to third place but six tenths behind Antonelli, as well as complaining after several laps that "I have very little feeling, tyres feel hot", with track temperatures reaching 50°C. Into the second half of proceedings, the Mercedes duo switched to the soft tyre with Antonelli setting a 1m 07.796s and 0.119s clear of Russell after their first attempts. Russell brought the gap down to just 0.040s, but was unable to best Antonelli as the Mercedes duo remained in control until the chequered flag, the session ending under a red flag as Sergio Perez's Cadillac came to a halt on track with a mechanical issue. Piastri headed Verstappen, Hamilton and Arvid Lindblad's Racing Bulls machine, as the top 10 was completed by Norris, Alpine's Franco Colapinto, Dino Beganovic (in for Charles Leclerc at Ferrari) and Ollie Bearman's Haas. Nico Hulkenberg's Audi was P11 from Hadjar, Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac), Pierre Gasly (Alpine), Ayumu Iwasa (in for Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls) and Alex Albon's Williams. The order was completed by Paul Aron (driving Gabriel Bortoleto's Audi), Luke Browning (at the wheel of Carlos Sainz's Williams), Ryo Hirakawa (in Esteban Ocon's Haas), Jak Crawford (Lance Stroll's Aston Martin), Perez and Alonso. F1FacebookXInstagramYouTube© 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited