FP1 in Austria: Plenty of Updates at the Red Bull Ring – Russell on Top. Verstappen Second, Piastri Third. Ferrari Ninth, Debuts for Dunne and Beganovich
Free Practice 1 at the Red Bull Ring officially kicks off the Spielberg weekend. It’s home turf for Red Bull Racing, with local hero Max Verstappen in the spotlight. However, the Dutch driver faces an immediate setback due to the absence of his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, who will miss the entire Austrian GP weekend.
Major updates were brought to the SF-25, in what might be a make-or-break weekend for Ferrari’s 2025 campaign. Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur and his crew are putting in a considerable effort to get the team back on track after yet another disappointing result in Canada, where both drivers missed the podium despite Lando Norris’ retirement. Follow the live coverage of the session below.
FP1 live
14:30- Free Practice 1 concludes with Mercedes, McLaren, and Verstappen all closely matched in both qualifying simulations and early race runs. Persistent issues continue for Hamilton, who spent significant time in the garage. Ferrari, meanwhile, clearly needs to regroup ahead of FP2. Here are the top 10 results:
- Russell 1:05:542
- Verstappen 1:05:607
- Piastri 1:05:697
- Dunne 1:05:766
- Gasly 1:05:780
- Bortoleto 1:05:874
- Albon 1:05:946
- Sainz 1:06:017
- Hamilton 1:06:099
- Hadjar 1:06:110
14:20- Mercedes appears strong and consistent, especially with Russell showing good race pace. Hamilton climbs from P20 to P9 as his issues ease
14:10- The track gets busier: Russell posts a 1:05.542, with Verstappen just 0.065s behind and Piastri third, 0.155s off. Strong debut for Dunne in fourth. Ferrari still struggling at the back
14:05- As reported by Mara Sangiorgio (Sky Sport F1), Gasly and Ocon have new power units, while Antonelli and Hamilton are running a new battery pack and ECU
14:02- ALONSO! A spin for the Spaniard at the final corner on cold soft tyres.
14:00- Russell now on soft tyres, sets a 1:05.776. Sainz follows on mediums, two-tenths behind. Antonelli third, 0.354s off the pace. Hamilton returns to the track, hoping his gearbox issues are resolved.
13:52- HAMILTON! The Brit faces gearbox issues, forcing him back to the garage
13:45-Russell improves to 1:06.139, two-tenths ahead of Antonelli. Verstappen, still on medium tyres, is six-tenths behind. Alonso and Stroll round out the top five
13:40- Verstappen continues to struggle with braking. Russell sets the early pace on hard tyres with a 1:06.537
13:30- Green flag! Free Practice 1 for the Austrian GP is underway. Rookies Dino Beganovich (Ferrari, replacing Leclerc) and Alex Dunne (McLaren, in place of Norris) make their debuts.
Photo: Oracle Red Bull Racing, Scuderia Ferrari HP, McLaren
