Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli completed a perfect Friday at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix by leading both free practice sessions at the Red Bull Ring. The championship leader set the fastest time in FP2 with a lap of 1m07.014s, ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Antonelli also topped FP1 with a 1m07.796s lap on soft tyres, finishing 0.040s ahead of teammate George Russell. The sessions took place in extreme heat, with track temperatures reaching 49C, leading to several reliability issues including a hydraulic leak for Norris and an overheating Cadillac for Sergio Perez.
McLaren showed strong single-lap pace but struggled with tyre degradation in long runs. Ferrari's new power unit upgrade failed to deliver results, with Lewis Hamilton 0.597s off the pace in FP2 and Charles Leclerc even further behind.
Red Bull introduced a major upgrade package but Max Verstappen ended FP2 fourth, 0.550s slower than Antonelli. Saturday's FP3 is scheduled for 12:30pm local time, followed by qualifying at 4:00pm.
