Mercedes dominates as Red Bull faces home-race struggles in Austria

Kimi Antonelli has absolutely stamped his authority on the Red Bull Ring. The Mercedes man was the one to beat today, topping both practice sessions in a display of composure that frankly looked like a veteran’s work. George Russell, his teammate, was right there in the morning, trailing by just 0.040s, though he found the second session a bit more of a mountain to climb, eventually settling for sixth.

Meanwhile, the mood at Red Bull was—to put it mildly—a disaster. Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar were plagued by reliability headaches early on, from engine changes to a persistent anti-stall issue that left the local heroes scrambling for track time. Even when they finally got running, both drivers were left complaining about the driveability of the RB22. It is not exactly the start you want at your own home race, is it?

Elsewhere, it was a mixed bag. McLaren showed genuine teeth with Oscar Piastri slotting into second in FP2, even after Lando Norris lost most of the morning session to a hydraulic leak. Ferrari seemed to be chasing shadows; Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc both struggled to find the pace, leaving the Scuderia with a lot of heavy lifting to do overnight. As for Racing Bulls, Arvid Lindblad looked sharp on familiar ground, while Liam Lawson managed to sneak into the top 10 during the afternoon.