It was Red Bull’s ring at the Austrian GP but who would have thought that Red Bull’s Max Verstappen would be out of the qualifying race. The race starts today at 6:30 PM with Mercedes’ George Russell starting from pole again and sharing the front row with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The Red Bull Ring has always blessed courage. Its short legs, long straights and unforgiving high-speed corners leave little space. One mistake can cost a driver an entire qualifying session, while one good session can define an entire weekend.After Lewis Hamilton’s victory for Ferrari in Barcelona, ​​​​​​​​​Formula 1 arrived in Spielberg with the reopened race. Kimi Antonelli still led by 41 points, but George Russell was keen to remind everyone that Mercedes had two real rivals.
Friday’s Action: Antonelli Sets First Run
If Barcelona belonged to George Russell, Friday in Austria belonged to Kimi Antonelli. The championship leader was quick to stamp his authority over the weekend, dominating the opening session with Mercedes comfortably ahead of the chasing pack. George Russell completed a Mercedes one-two, while Oscar Piastri finished third for McLaren.
| Responsibility | Driver | Group | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:07.796 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | + 0.040s |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | + 0.117s |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | + 0.281s |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | + 0.665s |
The second test phase
Antonelli also finished practice on Friday, setting fastest laps ahead of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Russell dropped to sixth after a car change and a set-up change disrupted his afternoon, but Mercedes continued to be the team to beat on Saturday.McLaren looked the most competitive on stage one, while Ferrari’s Hamilton excelled throughout the afternoon. Verstappen also finished fourth but continued to struggle with his Red Bull.
| Responsibility | Driver | Group | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:07.014 |
| 2 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | + 0.237s |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren | + 0.325s |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | + 0.550s |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | + 0.597s |
Saturday Morning: Russell Returns
When it looked like Antonelli would dominate the rest of the week, George Russell responded. The Briton set the fastest pace in the final session of practice, edging teammate Antonelli by just 0.038 seconds to top FP3. Lewis Hamilton completed the top three despite struggling with rear wheel lock, while Mercedes again proved it had the fastest package around Spielberg.Russell admitted the car wasn’t perfect, complaining about consistency throughout, but when it really mattered, he produced the W18’s performance. Antonelli remained open to controversy, ensuring that Mercedes would enter the qualifiers as favourites.
| Responsibility | Driver | Group | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:07.096 |
| 2 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | + 0.038s |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | + 0.115s |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | + 0.248s |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | + 0.264s |
Continuity: Confusion, Controversy and the Wise Russell Sister
The Red Bull Ring may feature one of Formula 1’s shortest laps, but qualifying isn’t straightforward. Q1 and Q2 produced their share of surprises, and then came the amazing Q3.Max Verstappen appeared on track to challenge for pole before crashing at Turn 9 and crashing into the barriers in his flying finale. Yellow flags waved all around the area, forcing several drivers to take immediate action. Russell, approaching the event, raised enough to match the single yellow flag before completing a famous hat-trick that earned him the top spot. The Mercedes driver was briefly checked after Ferrari questioned whether he was respecting the yellow flags, but Antonelli and Russell confirmed his legs were legal and the pole stood. Charles Leclerc made good use of Ferrari’s pace to secure second place in the grid. Lewis Hamilton finished the race at the front of Ferrari in third.Antonelli, who looked like he could fight for the rest of the weekend, mistakenly believed the yellow flags had been shown and took off his flying leg, settling for fourth.Verstappen’s first lap was good enough for fifth although he finished qualifying on the barriers.
| Responsibility | Driver | Group | Q3/Q2/Q1 Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (field) | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:06.113 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:06.349 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:06.408 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:06.414 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:06.475 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:06.502 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:06.511 |
| 8 | Isaac Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | 1:06.632 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | 1:06.955 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | 1:07.007 |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:07.223 (Q2) |
| 12 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | 1:07.293 (Q2) |
| 13 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | 1:07.523 (Q2) |
| 14 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | 1:07.611 (Q2) |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | 1:07.817 (Q2) |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | 1:08.171 (Q2) |
| 17 | Carlos Sanz Jr. | Williams | 1:08.252 (Q1) |
| 18 | Alex Albon | Williams | 1:08.509 (Q1) |
| 19 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac | 1:08.945 (Q1) |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | 1:09.030 (Q1) |
| 21 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | 1:09.942 (Q1) |
| 22 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | 1:10.363 (Q1) |
A disappointing evening for Verstappen
Austria is Red Bull’s home race, but Saturday turned into a disappointment. After showing promising pace in Q3, Verstappen’s late crash ended any hope of fighting for position. Despite not being injured, the Dutchman will now start on Friday, leaving him with plenty of work to do on Sunday.
The Race Ahead
Everything points to another exciting battle for Mercedes versus Ferrari.George Russell starts from the spot looking to reduce Antonelli’s lead. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have the strongest results for Ferrari in weeks.Antonelli still has the speed to run for the win. And Verstappen, even starting fifth, is still one of the fastest Formula 1 drivers at the Red Bull Ring.With the opportunity to go through Turns 1, 3 and 4, the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday promises to be more action than Monaco.