Antonelli Dominates Austrian Grand Prix Practice
26.06.2026
Kimi Antonelli finished as the fastest driver during the second practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix. He outperformed the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at the Spielberg circuit.
The session, which began at 17:00 local time, saw drivers return to the track with slightly cooler temperatures anticipated. Several drivers who had vacated their seats for rookies in the first practice session, including Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, rejoined the action. Leclerc had made way for academy driver Dino Beganovic as Ferrari worked on optimising their latest power unit upgrade.
Among the first to head out were the Audi pair of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. Hulkenberg, however, had to abandon his flying lap early after driving wide, suggesting that the braking issues experienced by many earlier in the day were still present.
Norris initially set the pace on medium compound tyres, recording a time of 1m 08.000s, placing him ahead of his teammate. Further down the order, there was concern for Sergio Perez, whose first practice session ended abruptly. Despite the team changing the ECU, Perez stopped at Turn 6, leading to a Virtual Safety Car. This incident was not ideal for Cadillac’s plans to test their major upgrade package.
The stoppage, however, provided an opportunity for Max Verstappen, who had expressed discomfort with his seat. He used the brief break to have his seat readjusted.
Antonelli’s Pace and McLaren’s Performance
Once the session resumed, George Russell’s initial effort placed him fourth, as Mercedes drivers found it challenging to surpass Norris’ benchmark. Norris also faced difficulties, spinning and going onto a run-off area while pushing for a faster lap.
Antonelli soon reclaimed the top spot, becoming the first driver to achieve a lap time in the 1m 07s range, improving on his best time from the first practice. Leclerc also showed improvement, moving up to fifth, ahead of Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Isack Hadjar.
As the session approached its midpoint, Cadillac’s challenges continued. Valtteri Bottas reported smoke in his cockpit and returned to the pits, where a fire on the underside of his car was addressed. This marked a frustrating day for the American team.
The crucial soft tyre runs followed, with McLaren demonstrating strong performance. Oscar Piastri briefly posted the fastest lap before Antonelli once again took the lead by a small margin.
Ultimately, Antonelli secured the fastest time of 1m 07.014s for Friday’s running. Piastri was close behind, approximately two-tenths adrift, while Norris finished third, indicating a positive second practice for McLaren at the Red Bull Ring. Verstappen finished fourth, followed by Hamilton, Russell, and Hadjar. The top ten was completed by Leclerc, Liam Lawson, and Bortoleto.
Pierre Gasly narrowly missed the top ten, finishing eleventh, ahead of Arvid Lindblad, Ollie Bearman, Hulkenberg, and Esteban Ocon. Franco Colapinto was half a second behind his Alpine teammate, leading Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, and Lance Stroll.
Team Challenges and Preparations for Saturday
Cadillac finished at the bottom of the leaderboard, as neither Bottas nor Perez could return to the track after their car issues. This leaves the team with significant work to do before the final practice session.
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli currently leads the drivers’ championship with 156 points, 41 points ahead of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who is in second place. George Russell sits third. In the constructors’ standings, Mercedes holds a lead with 262 points, followed by Ferrari and McLaren.
Ferrari arrived in Austria following Hamilton’s victory in Barcelona. The team is eager to maintain this momentum at a circuit known for short lap times, which allow minimal room for error. Lando Norris, who won this race a year ago, is also looking for a repeat performance.
McLaren’s technical director, Neil Houldey, noted that Mercedes, particularly Kimi Antonelli, would be challenging to beat. Piastri also commented that Antonelli’s performance, especially setting a fast lap on his second attempt with soft tyres, was impressive.
Ferrari has an engine upgrade for this weekend, which they hope will reduce their power deficit to Mercedes. This follows aerodynamic developments introduced in Barcelona. However, Ferrari had a subdued day, not yet showing the pace seen during Hamilton’s win. Hamilton was 0.597 seconds off the pace, and teammate Charles Leclerc was an additional 0.244 seconds behind in eighth place.
Mercedes suspected that Ferrari was running their new engine conservatively and would be competitive in qualifying. However, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur downplayed the immediate impact of the upgrade, noting it was introduced shortly after the FIA permitted the engine change under the additional development and upgrade opportunities programme.
Vasseur described Friday as difficult, citing conditions like altitude and temperature. He expressed confidence that the team would work overnight to improve for Saturday. Russell, despite lacking pace over a single lap, performed well in race simulation runs. Red Bull also has a major upgrade this weekend, but Verstappen and Hadjar reported a lack of grip, with Verstappen 0.55 seconds off the pace. Teams and drivers will review their data before Free Practice 3 on Saturday at 12:30 local time, ahead of Qualifying at 15:00.
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Source: formula1.com
Ishaan Kapoor
Sports correspondent covering cricket, football and international competitions.