Russell Denies Antonelli Austrian GP Practice Sweep in Tight FP3

George Russell denied championship leader Kimi Antonelli a clean sweep of practice sessions by snatching top spot in FP3 for the Austrian Grand Prix, edging his Mercedes teammate by just 38 milliseconds at the Red Bull Ring. The Briton's late surge came after struggling with front-end comfort earlier in the hour, leaving the top six separated by barely two-and-a-half tenths ahead of qualifying.

Why it matters:

Antonelli's clean sweep of Friday had positioned Mercedes as the clear favorite in Spielberg, but Russell's last-minute improvement reveals a genuine intra-team fight that could define the qualifying battle. The ultra-tight margins across the top teams suggest that subtle tactical choices — such as the pit-lane cooldown approach Russell borrowed from his teammate — may prove critical in the chase for pole.

The details:

• Russell's early struggles with the W17's front end led to a late suspension change as the team searched for a solution before qualifying.
• Running on used soft tyres, Russell mirrored Antonelli's approach of cutting through the pit lane between push laps, a strategy that delivered the decisive pace advantage.
• Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen filled positions three through six, all covered by just 0.25 seconds.
• Charles Leclerc continued Ferrari's difficult weekend in seventh, finishing a tenth adrift of Verstappen after a messy end to his qualifying simulation runs.
• Sergio Perez enjoyed a near-private opening 10 minutes for Cadillac as he banked laps following a heavily disrupted Friday.

What's next:

Focus now shifts entirely to qualifying, where the Red Bull Ring's short lap leaves little room for error. With Mercedes appearing to hold a slender edge but McLaren and Red Bull packed tightly behind, the fight for pole position looks set to be one of the closest of the season.