Austrian GP practice winners and losers: Antonelli on top, Ferrari and Red Bull struggle

Kimi Antonelli topped Austrian Grand Prix practice while Ferrari and Red Bull, both armed with upgrades, struggled for rhythm. McLaren stayed in the hunt despite setbacks, but Cadillac's revised car barely ran.

Why it matters:

The Austrian weekend is a critical 2026 development battleground. Friday offered an early read on whether Ferrari and Red Bull can catch Mercedes, but hidden pace means the true order may only emerge in qualifying.

The details:

• Antonelli swept the sessions and finished FP2 with a 0.25s cushion on worn tires. Russell matched his race pace but lagged in qualifying trim.
• Red Bull's upgrade delivered little after unrelated issues cost Verstappen and Hadjar track time. Both flagged non-linear rear grip at Turn 3; Hadjar called it "really, really poor" as the rears locked.
• Ferrari's woes left Hamilton fifth and Leclerc eighth. Long-run pace trailed Mercedes and McLaren, though GPS data suggested the Scuderia masked straight-line speed, hinting its ADUO-assisted engine is not yet turned up.
• McLaren overcame a hydraulic leak that sidelined Norris in FP1 and offs in FP2 to post the third-best long-run pace. Piastri's second place confirmed the team's speed.
• Cadillac's upgrades yielded only eight total laps in FP2. Perez stopped twice with electrical faults, while a floor issue restricted Bottas to six laps.
• Williams sits adrift from the midfield. Albon said the car lacks grip, balance, and downforce, especially through the high-speed Turns 7-9-10. The team is also worried about high-fuel pace.
• Crawford outpaced Alonso by 0.131s in FP1, a rare positive for Aston Martin as the reserve's simulator work paid off.

What's next:

Qualifying will reveal whether Ferrari was hiding true pace or genuinely struggling. Red Bull must fix its rear-grip issue quickly, while Cadillac faces a race to recover lost setup data.