Antonelli Sets Pace in Both Austrian GP Practice Sessions
Kimi Antonelli delivered a commanding Friday double at the Austrian Grand Prix, setting the fastest time in both practice sessions at the Red Bull Ring. The championship leader posted a 1m07.796s in FP1 — beating teammates George Russell and Oscar Piastri — before pulling further clear in FP2 with a 1m07.014s, 0.237 seconds ahead of Piastri, with Lando Norris third. Russell fell over six tenths behind Antonelli in FP2, raising questions about the British driver’s race weekend pace. McLaren showed strong long-run performance and positioned itself as the closest challenger to Mercedes. With qualifying on Saturday afternoon and the race on Sunday, Antonelli enters the session as favourite.
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Ferrari Admits Difficult Austrian GP Practice After Heat Hampers Performance
Ferrari’s Austrian Grand Prix began in difficult fashion as both Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc struggled in sweltering conditions, finishing fifth and eighth respectively in FP2 — more than six tenths behind pacesetter Kimi Antonelli. Despite arriving with a new power unit upgrade this season, Ferrari’s car failed to match Mercedes or McLaren across single-lap or race-pace simulations. Team principal Fred Vasseur conceded the squad had struggled with the conditions and described Friday as difficult, saying Ferrari was far away from its potential. Track temperatures cleared 50 degrees Celsius as a European heatwave gripped the Red Bull Ring, with Hamilton also conceding the team was not as competitive as hoped.
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Red Bull Seven-Part Austria Upgrade Marred by Reliability Problems
Red Bull arrived at their home Austrian Grand Prix with a seven-part upgrade package for the RB22 — including revised sidepod inlets, floor modifications, rear suspension changes, and a new rear wing — but the upgrades’ debut was clouded by reliability problems. Max Verstappen stopped twice in the pit lane in the opening 20 minutes of FP1 due to a software issue, while Isack Hadjar required a complete engine change after a problem was discovered late in the session. Team principal Laurent Mekies warned the upgrades alone will not close the gap to Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren, but expressed confidence in the team’s continued improvement path.
Cadillac’s Biggest 2026 Upgrade Hit by Fire and Chaos on Austrian GP Friday
Cadillac brought their most substantial upgrade package of the 2026 season to the Red Bull Ring — a 10-part overhaul of the MAC-26 targeting sidepods, floor, diffuser, and rear wing — but the weekend opened disastrously. Sergio Perez triggered red flags in FP1 with a mechanical failure, then caused a Virtual Safety Car in FP2 despite a complete ECU replacement between sessions. Valtteri Bottas retired mid-session after an apparent suspension failure caused his floor to scrape the track surface and catch fire. Bottas had suggested the revised floor package could be worth a few tenths per lap. Cadillac used a curfew exemption on Thursday evening to install the components.
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McLaren Shelves Experimental McMacarena Wing Before Austrian GP Practice
McLaren shelved plans to test an experimental rear wing at the Austrian Grand Prix before it ran a single lap in practice. The team had intended to fit the concept — nicknamed the McMacarena — to Lando Norris’s car for FP1 at the Red Bull Ring. Designed to flip and shed significantly more drag on straights than a conventional wing, the concept was intended as a development run. Pre-session garage checks uncovered issues, prompting McLaren to remove the wing before running. The team confirmed no further attempt would be made this weekend, with the experimental design not set to return until after the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
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FIA Formally Bans Ferrari-Style Exhaust Wings From 2027
The FIA has formally ratified a ban on Ferrari-pioneered exhaust wings for 2027, approved by the World Motor Sport Council meeting in Macau. Ferrari developed the concept early in the 2026 season — using exhaust gases to supply airflow to a small winglet above the tailpipe — by repositioning the differential to exploit a loophole in the technical regulations. Rival teams including Mercedes later developed their own variants using tailpipe brackets as winglets. The updated 2027 technical regulations, published Friday, impose an exclusion zone around the exhaust exit area. Additional 2027 restrictions on floor body stays, suspension design, and damper behaviour were also ratified at the same WMSC meeting.
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Red Bull Confirms Verstappen Exit Clause as McLaren Talks Reports Emerge
Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 future took centre stage at his home race weekend as reports emerged of secret talks between Verstappen and McLaren about a potential switch. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed the existence of a performance-related exit clause in the Dutchman’s contract through to 2028, which is expected to activate at the summer break if he sits outside the top two in the championship. Verstappen currently lies seventh, 101 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli. Mekies said this weekend that Verstappen wants a fast car, pointing to the Austrian upgrade package as evidence of the team’s commitment to closing the gap ahead of the contract decision.
Alonso Points to Dutch or Italian GP for F1 Decision Timeline
Fernando Alonso provided the clearest indication yet of his decision timeline at the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, saying he expects to decide on his Formula 1 future around the Dutch or Italian Grand Prix, after the summer break. Three options remain open for the 44-year-old two-time world champion: re-signing with Aston Martin, a return to Alpine, or retirement from the sport. Aston Martin’s chief trackside officer Mike Krack expressed confidence that Alonso would remain, praising his speed despite the team’s struggles. Alonso has scored just one championship point from seven race weekends in 2026 as Aston Martin have battled persistent reliability problems throughout the season.
Williams Confirms Curfew Breach to Install Mercedes Updates at Austrian GP
Williams breached the FIA-mandated overnight curfew at the Austrian Grand Prix to install Mercedes power unit reliability updates ahead of the race weekend, the team has confirmed. Alex Albon also switched to a different FW48 chassis for Spielberg, having harboured doubts about his previous car’s handling in recent races. Williams was not alone in working through the night: Cadillac also used a curfew exemption on Thursday evening to complete installation of their extensive 10-part upgrade package on both cars before Friday morning’s first practice session. Curfew exemptions, commonly known as jokers, are available to each team a limited number of times across the F1 season.
Racing Bulls Denies Signing F2 Driver for 2027 Season
Racing Bulls has denied reports claiming it has already agreed a deal for an F2 driver to join for the 2027 Formula 1 season, issuing a statement at the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. The team has become the focus of paddock speculation regarding its future driver lineup, amid expected changes across both Racing Bulls and Red Bull Racing’s 2027 grids. Racing Bulls currently fields Liam Lawson and rookie Arvid Lindblad, who sit 10th and 13th in the Drivers’ Championship with 28 and 13 points respectively after the opening seven rounds. The specific identity of the rumoured signee was not disclosed in the reports the team sought to address.
Drivers' Championship
1. Kimi Antonelli — 156 pts
2. Lewis Hamilton — 115 pts
3. George Russell — 106 pts
4. Charles Leclerc — 75 pts
5. Lando Norris — 73 pts
6. Oscar Piastri — 58 pts
7. Max Verstappen — 55 pts
8. Pierre Gasly — 41 pts
9. Isack Hadjar — 34 pts
10. Liam Lawson — 28 pts
11. Oliver Bearman — 18 pts
12. Franco Colapinto — 16 pts
13. Arvid Lindblad — 13 pts
14. Carlos Sainz — 6 pts
15. Alex Albon — 5 pts
16. Esteban Ocon — 3 pts
17. Gabriel Bortoleto — 2 pts
18. Fernando Alonso — 1 pts
19. Nico Hülkenberg — 0 pts
20. Sergio Pérez — 0 pts
21. Valtteri Bottas — 0 pts
22. Lance Stroll — 0 pts
Constructors' Championship
1. Mercedes — 262 pts
2. Ferrari — 190 pts
3. McLaren — 131 pts
4. Red Bull Racing — 89 pts
5. Alpine — 57 pts
6. Racing Bulls — 41 pts
7. Haas — 21 pts
8. Williams — 11 pts
9. Audi — 2 pts
10. Aston Martin — 1 pts
11. Cadillac — 0 pts
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