Kimi Antonelli topped both Friday sessions at the Austrian Grand Prix. Dominant. Comfortable. Except George Russell has already admitted that FP1 was about as representative as a pre-season press release, and FP2 told a more complicated story.
The Flattery Admission
Russell finished sixth in FP2, six tenths off his own team-mate. He blamed a single mistake on his quick lap, which is probably fair. But his wider read of the afternoon was telling.
“Every time I saw the TV screens, it was drivers in the garage with problems. Lando only got out at the end, Lewis had some problems, Max had some problems. That probably flattered our pace a bit in FP1.” – George Russell
Credit to him for saying it. Rivals had scrappy sessions, and Mercedes looked better by comparison. FP2 told more of the truth.
McLaren: The Heat Weapon Is Back
Russell’s sharpest concern heading into qualifying is not Red Bull’s seven-part upgrade or Ferrari’s new engine. It is McLaren in hot conditions, and the pattern is hard to argue with.
“It was a real surprise seeing that first lap of the McLarens in FP2 right at the top, and their race pace, especially on Lando’s side, looked a bit better than ours.” – George Russell
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were second and third in FP2, with long-run pace comparable to Mercedes once stint length is accounted for. McLaren also arrived with an experimental rear wing that failed pre-session checks and never turned a wheel. They were already this quick without it.
Ferrari: Playing Dumb Again
Ferrari ended the day fifth and eighth. Team boss Frederic Vasseur’s response was cheerful: “We’re copying Barcelona.” GPS data suggests the new engine has yet to be turned up, and Charles Leclerc called the power unit upgrade “not a revolution, but a step in the right direction.” After Barcelona’s trick exhaust wing controversy, nobody is writing Ferrari off on the strength of a soft Friday.
Red Bull: Upgrade, What Upgrade?
Red Bull brought a massive aero package to Austria and ended up fourth and seventh, with both drivers furious about Turn 3. Isack Hadjar described the rear end as “really, really poor.” Laurent Mekies pointed to balance and driveability issues rather than the upgrade itself, and Verstappen’s long-run data is more encouraging once stint length is corrected. Still, for all that fanfare, Friday needed to go better.
The Honest Verdict
Mercedes lead. But with 60-degree track temperatures, rivals sandbagging, and McLaren’s heat-race trend firmly intact, the Austrian GP grid could look very different on Saturday. As Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord put it, “we have a fight on our hands.” For once, that is not PR boilerplate. It might actually be true.
