George Russell continued his good form and was quickest in Spielberg to put his Mercedes top of the Austrian GP 2025 Free Practice 1 results, just ahead of Max Verstappen in the Red Bull, with Oscar Piastri in the McLaren third fastest in the first practice session of the F1 weekend.
The Mercedes driver posted a 1:05.542 on soft tyres to lead Verstappen by 0.065 seconds, while Piastri slotted in third for McLaren.
There was a notable debut as Formula 2 championship leader Alex Dunne took over Lando Norris’ McLaren, becoming the first Irish driver in 22 years to participate in an F1 weekend. Dunne made an immediate impression, finishing an eye-catching fourth, only 0.069s behind Piastri’s best effort.
F1 Austrian GP 2025 FP1 results
Check out the full Austrian GP 2025 Free Practice 1 results from the first practice session in Spielberg below.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:05.542 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.065 |
| 3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.155 |
| 4 | Alexander Dunne | McLaren | +0.224 |
| 5 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.238 |
| 6 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | +0.332 |
| 7 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +0.404 |
| 8 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.475 |
| 9 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.557 |
| 10 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +0.568 |
| 11 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.588 |
| 12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | +0.598 |
| 13 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +0.618 |
| 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.628 |
| 15 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.647 |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +0.704 |
| 17 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +0.720 |
| 18 | Dino Beganovic | Ferrari | +0.827 |
| 19 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +0.968 |
| 20 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.196 |
George Russell leads the way for Mercedes
Dino Beganovic stepped into the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. Beganovic’s morning was less smooth, with lengthy garage time as the team worked on his car, eventually finishing 18th.
The session featured a range of tyre strategies, with Dunne initially alone on the softs as teams tested new upgrades. McLaren ran aero rakes to gather data for its updated front suspension, while Red Bull brought a new floor edge and Ferrari debuted a fully redesigned floor.
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Russell established his pace early and was rarely challenged at the top of the timing screens. Meanwhile, Verstappen reported issues on the radio with the RB21, this time communicating with Simon Rennie instead of his usual engineer, with Gianpiero Lambiase sitting out the weekend.
Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton was forced back to the pits with a gearbox problem on his Ferrari. The team worked to fix the issue, allowing Hamilton to eventually set the ninth fastest time.
Yuki Tsunoda struggled with his Red Bull, suffering a wide moment as he continues to adapt to the car, and Esteban Ocon spun at Turn 1, bringing out a yellow flag but avoiding damage.
The closing stages saw the track threatened by light rain, but the order remained unchanged. Pierre Gasly starred for Alpine in fifth, with Gabriel Bortoleto putting his Sauber into sixth. The Williams duo of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz were next, ahead of Hamilton and Isack Hadjar rounding out the top 10 for Racing Bulls.
Kimi Antonelli placed just outside the top ten in 11th for Mercedes, ahead of Nico Hulkenberg (Kick Sauber), Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), Fernando Alonso, and Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls).
Franco Colapinto was 16th for Alpine, followed by Tsunoda, Beganovic, Ocon, and Ollie Bearman (Haas) completing the field.
With data gathered and early upgrades evaluated, teams will now turn their attention to Free Practice 2, scheduled for 17:00 local time.
