From the start of this single testing session at the Red Bull Ring the Mercedes seemed in very good shape on the hard tyres. Lewis Hamilton was ahead of George Russell, himself ahead of the Red Bulls in mediums. But mid-session Max Verstappen had to stop at the side of the track due to an engine problem on his car and causing a red flag.
After less than five minutes of interruption, the cars returned to the track, even that of the Dutchman. With less than ten minutes to go, most of the riders put on the soft tires to best prepare for the sprint qualifications. The Ferraris temporarily took control before the three-time reigning champion pushed Charles Leclerc back by more than three and a half tenths (+0.370).
George Russell suffered from traffic to improve while Oscar Piastri then came to insert himself between the two leading drivers. The other McLaren, that of Lando Norris, unfortunately ended up in the gravel after having signed the best first sector. Esteban Ocon finished good 6th, quite far ahead of Pierre Gasly (11th).
The ranking of Free Practice 1
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Guanyu Zhou (Stake)
- Valtteri Bottas (Stake)
- Daniel Ricciardo (Racing Bulls)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
- Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
- Logan Sargeant (Williams)
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In short
Discover the rankings from the first and only free practice session of the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
