As Formula 1 heads into its eighth Grand Prix of the season at the Red Bull Ring, the hills are certainly alive with a Heat Hazard Declaration. 22 drivers plan to head out in the heat for Free Practice 1, but the issues start before the session even begins.
Lewis Hamilton is at the front of the pit exit, eager to get back out on track following his race win in Barcelona. Ferrari, along with McLaren and Red Bull, are among the teams bringing upgrades to Austria, including a new power unit. Enrico Gualtieri, Ferrari’s technical director, described it as a “relatively minor one”, but hopes remain high of closing the gap to the Mercedes frontrunners.
Despite being the second-shortest lap of the racing season, there is still plenty of ground to cover as each team prepares to put the cars through some serious heat.
Rookies in Free Practice 1
Six rookies took to the cockpit for Free Practice 1, following the rule that each driver must give up two practice sessions to allow up-and-coming talent a chance to gain experience. Ferrari, Haas, Williams, Audi, Aston Martin, and Racing Bulls are all welcoming a rookie to the track.
Dino Beganovic steps in for Charles Leclerc, who is currently sitting sixth in the Formula 2 Championship. Racing Bulls have invited Ayumu Iwasa back to fill in for Isack Hadjar, after taking Liam Lawson’s seat in Barcelona. Ryo Hirakawa begins his seventh FP1 session by filling in for Esteban Ocon at Haas. He is no stranger to the format, although a small incident occurred in the pit box where he bumped into a mechanic.
Luke Browning, a Super Formula competitor, is in for Carlos Sainz at Williams after an unsuccessful FP1 in Barcelona, where a technical issue disrupted his run. Paul Aron is also making his seventh FP1 appearance as he takes over Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi seat during the session. To round out the rookies, Jak Crawford, who recently finished the 2025 F2 season in second place, is behind the wheel of Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin.
Problems heating up in Free Practice 1
As the cars begin lining up in the pit lane, it is clear that some drivers may not be able to complete the session. A hydraulic leak in the reigning world champion’s car leaves Lando Norris watching from the garage as the team frantically works on repairs. With McLaren also bringing an “experimental” rear wing to the circuit, this is a crucial opportunity to evaluate the upgrade. Norris is able to join the session with just 14 minutes remaining.
Red Bull are desperate to maximise their Free Practice sessions this week, bringing seven different upgrades. A relatively non-competitive season for Red Bull so far requires major steps to improve points potential. However, both Hadjar and Max Verstappen were at a standstill as the session began. Verstappen was able to exit the garage but came to a slow, spluttering stop a few metres up from the pit lane due to clutch issues. Hadjar was initially unable to get going at all due to various issues, but once on track, he reported balance problems.
After being pushed back into the garage, Verstappen suffered a repeat issue and came to another stop, shaking his head in frustration. The four-time World Champion did eventually get out on track on soft tyres and immediately set a time that was half a second off the race leaders.
Sergio Perez in the Cadillac is having further issues, stopping twice on the track throughout the session. The car comes to a slow stop, and while Perez is able to get the car going the first time, the second time causes a red flag and finishes the session one minute earlier than expected. The loss of power doesn’t bode well as they enter another race weekend, but with hope for the car to be up and running by the time Free Practice 2 rolls around.
Standout performance in Free Practice 1
Mercedes showed early dominance as championship leader Kimi Antonelli finished the session on top with a time of 1:07.796. Teammate George Russell was just +0.040 behind, with both drivers still getting to grips with tyre performance throughout the session.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri rounded out the top three, showing strong pace that contrasted with the other side of the garage, where Norris struggled to get running.
Ferrari’s Beganovic was the highest-ranked rookie, finishing ninth. Crawford in the Aston Martin ended P20, ahead of Fernando Alonso, who finished the session in P22.
Despite having some standout drivers of the session, many others are facing issues with heat on what’s shaping up to be the hottest race weekend of the year, it will be interesting to see how this unfolds before the start of qualifying.
