Mercedes Drivers Show Strong Pace on Friday at Austrian Grand Prix
Kimi Antonelli topped both practice sessions while George Russell finished P2 in FP1 and P6 in FP2 on a hot opening day at the Red Bull Ring.
50°C
1:07.014
What Happened
On a hot Friday at the Red Bull Ring, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team completed a productive day of practice for the Austrian Grand Prix. Both drivers showed encouraging pace, with Kimi Antonelli topping both sessions and George Russell finishing P2 in FP1 and P6 in FP2. The team focused on tyre management using Soft C5 and Medium C4 compounds, as track temperatures reached 50 degrees Celsius.
- FP1: P1, FP2: P1
- FP1: P2, FP2: P6
“It’s been a clean and productive day for us. From FP1 onwards, I’ve felt comfortable in the car, which gave us a good platform to work from as we built through the sessions.”
“In recent years, we've failed to get the car in a good position on this track. After a lot of preparation for the past few months, it was interesting to see how the W17 was behaving today.”
Why this matters
After struggling at the Austrian track in recent years, Mercedes' promising Friday performance suggests a competitive weekend ahead, though tyre management in high heat remains a key challenge.
Terms in This Story
- FP1
- The first free practice session of a Formula One weekend, typically lasting 60 minutes.
- C5 compound
- The softest tire compound available in a Formula One weekend, offering highest grip but lowest durability.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.