It was not until the final minutes of free practice 1 of the Austrian Grand Prix that the drivers put on soft tyres and set off in search of a time in order to prepare for the sprint qualifying at 4:05 p.m. on Friday at the Spielberg circuit.
And despite an engine failure mid-session, which caused a red flag while his car was stuck on the pit straight, Max Verstappen set the best time of the session, in 1’5″685. The Dutchman beat Oscar Piastri’s McLaren by 27 hundredths, the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc (+ 0″37) and Carlos Sainz (+ 0″44) and Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes (+ 0″56), who nevertheless hid his game since he did not use the fastest tires.
George Russell (Mercedes), hampered in his fast lap by Guanyu Zhou (Sauber), finished 8th at 70 hundredths and Lando Norris, who went off in the gravel when he was chasing the clock and had set the best time in the first sector, came away with the 13th time, at 1″19.
Alpine, on an upward slope for two races, confirms that it should fight for a place in Q3, with the 6th time of Esteban Ocon (+ 0″61) and the 11th of Pierre Gasly (+ 1″04). The Aston Martins of Lance Stroll (7th, +0″69) and Fernando Alonso (10th, +0″91) are in the top 10.
