Report FP1 | Verstappen fastest during free practice, but competition keeps him on his toes

Max Verstappen had a strong start to the Austrian Grand Prix weekend. The Dutch driver showed good pace on both the hard and medium tires, securing the fastest time of the session, followed by the Ferraris, Hamilton, and his teammate. However, Mercedes and Ferrari seemed to have the speed to compete for pole position in qualifying, which will take place later this afternoon. The session proceeded very calmly, except for few mistakes, and many teams focused on long runs and qualifying simulations since it was the only practice session of the weekend.

This edition of the Austrian Grand Prix is full of action. The new sprint race format, which was already implemented at the Azerbaijan GP, means that only one practice session is held, giving teams little time to fine-tune their cars. Despite the limited time for car setup and familiarization, some teams have brought significant updates. In their quest for more speed and a good setup, the drivers quickly hit the track. The Austrian sun provided perfect conditions, which are likely to be representative for the sprint race and main race as well.

Under the watchful eyes of many fans, including a lot of Dutch people who made their way down, almost all cars immediately took to the track. Within a minute, all cars except those from Williams were already out on the circuit. Max Verstappen was the first to set a timed lap on the hard tires. His teammate Perez, who mentioned not feeling completely fit, managed to go faster than Verstappen in his first run. Finding free space for a fast lap was a challenge amidst the crowded track. Soon, the other top teams joined the battle, and the fastest time exchanged hands between the Red Bull drivers. Besides the two "home drivers," Mercedes and Ferrari drivers also appeared on the hard tires.

Musical chairs and testing

At the start of the session, the times were closely matched on the short track, where more than 70% is driven at full throttle. After ten minutes, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton joined the battle for the fastest time. The Spaniard set the fastest time on the medium tires, followed closely by the British driver. It was an important session for Aston Martin as they aimed to further optimize the updates introduced in the previous race. Ferrari and McLaren also completed numerous laps, although slower than the top teams. Ferrari introduced the highly anticipated new floor, while McLaren brought a nearly new car for Lando Norris. The British team used flow-vis paint to map the airflow over the MCL60.

Williams also utilized the special paint. Logan Sargeant received the same update package as Alexander Albon in Canada. After the first quarter of the session, about half of the drivers returned to the pit lane. Verstappen requested a check of his floor upon entering the pits, suspecting something was loose. Meanwhile, the drivers still on the track had more space available, which Hamilton took advantage of to set the fastest time. After twenty minutes, only the Williams drivers remained on the track, while the other teams worked on setups in the pit lane.

Mercedes fast in long runs

With over half an hour remaining, most drivers returned to the track to join the Williams drivers. The majority of teams focused on long runs using the hard and medium tires, resulting in limited improvements in lap times. Notably, Mercedes appeared to be the fastest in the long runs. As the track became busier, frustration grew among some drivers due to traffic. Many drivers were also prone to making small mistakes, especially in the challenging third corner and the final sequence of corners. Halfway through the session, Hamilton led the way, followed by Verstappen, Alonso, Perez, Albon and Stroll. Behind them, Tsunoda, Ocon, Bottas, and Norris completed the top ten.

After the second busy phase of the session, a brief period of calmness returned with twenty minutes remaining. Typically, teams have three hours to fine-tune their cars for the weekend, but this weekend they were given only one hour. This time constraint was noticeable as all teams were highly active on the track, diligently working through their programs. Fortunately, they had perfect conditions and an uninterrupted session.

Qualifying runs and mistakes

With the dawn of the final phase, drivers gradually took to the track for qualifying simulations in preparation for the qualifying session later in the afternoon. After a relatively a rather uneventful session, the Ferraris suddenly emerged at the top of the timesheets. Charles Leclerc set the fastest time on the medium tires, closely followed by Sergio Perez, who also used the mediums. Verstappen, on the yellow-marked tire, reclaimed the fastest time. Carlos Sainz then joined the battle with the soft tire and took away Verstappen's fastest time. The top positions were constantly changing, and with a few minutes left, most drivers made their final push.

Finding the space for a clean run remained challenging on the short and busy track, which is a concerning sign for the upcoming qualifying session. As the session concluded, it was the Ferraris and Red Bulls who topped the timesheets. Verstappen secured the fastest time at the last moment, followed by Sainz and Leclerc. Hamilton, Perez, Stroll, Magnussen, Alonso, Russell, and Zhou completed the top ten. The session concluded with the opportunity for practice starts on the main straight. In terms of speed, Ferrari and Mercedes appear to be capable of keeping up with Red Bull. This sets the stage for an exciting qualifying session scheduled for 17:00.