Antonelli Edges Piastri to Top Austria FP2 as Perez Suffers Another Setback

Kimi Antonelli continued his strong weekend at the Red Bull Ring by topping second practice for the Austrian Grand Prix, edging out Oscar Piastri by 0.237s with a benchmark 1m07.014s. The session served as a recovery for McLaren after its disrupted FP1, though it dealt another blow to Sergio Perez, who stopped on track without setting a time.

Why it matters:

• Antonelli's pace confirms Mercedes has genuine qualifying potential this weekend, with the rookie outpacing the championship-leading McLarens at the front.
• McLaren's return to form with Piastri and Lando Norris in second and third suggests its earlier technical issues are contained.
• Perez's repeat failure despite a battery change raises serious reliability concerns for Cadillac, leaving him with minimal preparation ahead of qualifying.

The details:

• Antonelli set his best time on soft tyres, improving in stages to edge ahead of Piastri, who had briefly moved to the top of the order.
• Norris finished third, 0.325s back, recovering from a spin at Turn 3 that cost him a set of tyres after he lost the rear on entry.
• Max Verstappen overcame an early seat issue to finish fourth, while Lewis Hamilton took fifth for Ferrari ahead of George Russell, who lost early track time.
• Isack Hadjar placed eighth behind Charles Leclerc, with Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto completing the top 10.
• Track temperatures neared 50 degrees Celsius, forcing teams to balance qualifying runs with race simulations and tyre management.
• Perez suffered an identical power issue to FP1 and stopped on track, triggering a brief Virtual Safety Car. He ended last on the timesheets.
• Alex Albon also reported "no power" and stopped in the pit lane, while Valtteri Bottas returned late with smoke in the cockpit.
• Several drivers reported brake heat issues in the closing moments as they headed to practice starts.

What's next:

Final practice kicks off Saturday at 12:30pm local time, offering teams one last chance to dial in setups before qualifying. With track temperatures set to remain punishing and the front end tightly packed, tyre management and reliability could prove decisive in the fight for pole.