Hello and welcome to this Total Motorsport live blog for Free Practice 3 at the F1 2025 Austrian GP from Spielberg, as Formula 1 returns to the dramatic backdrop of the Styrian hills.
McLaren have dominated the early running so far this weekend, with Lando Norris leading a one-two from Oscar Piastri in FP2 after George Russell set the pace for Mercedes in FP1. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen and Red Bull are working hard to close the gap on home soil, eager to put on a show for their fans after a challenging Friday.
Total-Motorsport.com’s F1 2025 Austrian GP live updates for Free Practice 3 will keep you updated with every headline, sector time, and technical twist. Stay tuned for expert insight and up-to-the-minute coverage direct from the Red Bull Ring.
F1 2025 Austrian GP Free Practice 3: Latest Updates
CHEQUERED FLAG: Lando Norris heads times ahead of qualifying
Lando Norris delivers a 1:04.324 to take command ahead of qualifying as he pips an uncertain Oscar Piastri by 0.118 as the pair battle for the Formula 1 title.
Then comes Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, who are close to the pair and could get into the mix for pole position too for Red Bull and Ferrari respectively.
The comes Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda and Gabriel Bortoleto to round out the Top 10 in Spielberg.
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One minute to go: A couple more hairy moments
Charles Leclerc has to catch some rear-end movement at Turn 3, not quite happy with his Ferrari as he tries to push it to the limit at the Red Bull Ring.
Franco Colapinto, in the Alpine, also goes for a spin too and a heavy whack for good measure, but all seems fine on his Formula 1 car and he takes his practice start.
Speaking of practice starts, Oscar Piastri’s McLaren is running some flow-vis paint, the team clearly eager to learn something about that car ahead of qualifying.
Two minutes to go: Red Bulls in the wars
Yuki Tsunoda goes for a spin at the exit of Turn 1 and finds himself facing the wrong direction, but he gets his Red Bull back up and running once again.
Meanwhile in the final corner, Max Verstappen is a few inches away from causing a major crash as he goes slowly whilst Alpine’s Pierre Gasly approaches on a fast-lap. If he was told, it was far too late.
He then goes for a spin on the following lap too, but casually plays it down. He finishes the session in fourth, unable to get in another soft-tyre run.
10 minutes to go: Neither Piastri nor Verstappen pip Lando Norris
Lando Norris isn’t having an easy time of it as he still battles against his McLaren MCL39 around the Red Bull Ring, but when he puts it together he is blisteringly quick as evidenced by that 1:04.324.
He leads Oscar Piastri by 0.118 and Max Verstappen by 0.210 so expect both of them to be in the mix for pole position later on Saturday, but also Charles Leclerc too, who is just 0.250 back.
Then comes Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Kimi Antonelli, Lance Stroll, Yuki Tsunoda and Gabriel Bortoleto in the Top 10.
13 minutes to go: Big spin for Hadjar
Isack Hadjar dips a wheel into the gravel at the exit of the final corner and loops his Racing Bulls car around in a 360-degrees spin.
No damage caused and he continues on his merry way, briefly bringing out the yellow flags at the gorgeous circuit in Spielberg.
16 minutes to go: Lando Norris drops the hammer
Lando Norris absolutely smashes his previous time with a 1:04.324 to move a further half-a-second clear of the field, now opening his gap to Mercedes’ George Russell to 0.694 tenths of a second.
Can the rest of the grid respond or is qualifying looking like it’s going to be a one-team show at the Red Bull Ring for the 2025 Austrian GP?
That’s a big lap from the Brit.
20 minutes to go: Alonso impresses with strong lap
Fernando Alonso now gets himself up into the Top 6 and ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by delivering a 1:05.387 to move to within half-a-second of Lando Norris at the summit.
Could Aston Martin be on for a big result this weekend as Adrian Newey continues to edge the team closer to the right end of the Formula 1 field?
23 minutes to go: Changes at the top of the times
Lando Norris’ 1:04.888 is still holding up for McLaren, but now we have George Russell in second, followed by Kimi Antonelli in the second Mercedes, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton in the Ferraris in the Top 5.
Oscar Piastri is currently running sixth and has just come into the pits with suspected floor damage as his team does some checks before they may send him back out for the last part of the session.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is ninth, but he’s on the hard tyre so there could be a lot more to come when he decides to bolt on a set of softs to go for a qualifying simulation.
Right now he’s in the garage though, with some work going on at the right-hand side of his RB21 package.
31 minutes to go: Mercedes finally arrive
George Russell slots his Mercedes into third place as we hit the half-way point in this session meaning the Silver Arrows have finally showed up after a very quiet start to proceedings.
Kimi Antonelli, in the sister car, goes sixth-fastest and is 0.160 behind his more experienced teammate.
Can they get into the mix for pole position later this Saturday afternoon?
35 minutes to go: Lewis Hamilton gets closer to the top
Lewis Hamilton’s now second overall and 0.380 behind Lando Norris’ 1:04.888 in the McLaren.
Based on the typical one lap gap between the Ferrari driver and Charles Leclerc, that could put the Monegasque into the mix for pole position in Austria.
Oscar Piastri is third, then comes Max Verstappen, Yuki Tsunoda, Gabriel Bortoleto, Nico Hulkenberg, Carlos Sainz, Leclerc and Oliver Bearman in the Top 10.
40 minutes to go: Few mistakes around the lap for the grid
Both McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton make slight errors at Turn 1 and run wide, losing their laps and a little bit of their pride in the process, but with no damage done to their expensive Formula 1 cars.
Meanwhile at Turn 3, Charles Leclerc in the sister Ferrari almost loses the rear of his car mid-corner but manages to scoop it up whilst Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso runs wide for good measure too.
Then at Turns 9 and 10, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull gets a bit twitchy and nearly steps out, almost putting the four-time world champion into the gravel although he has carried on and is fourth overall on the hard tyre.
43 minutes to go: Lando Norris takes over at the top
Lando Norris now boots Max Verstappen off the top of the timing boards in Austria with a 1:05.412, pipping the Dutchman by 0.156 although he did run the soft tyre.
Oscar Piastri slots into third, three tenths back, and Yuki Tsunoda is fourth – half a second off the pace. Red Bull could use the 25-year-old being up there this weekend.
48 minutes to go: 17 drivers yet to set a time
It’s a very slow start to this Saturday morning in Austria with just three drivers putting times on the board.
They’re Max Verstappen, who heads the times with a 1:05.818 on the hard tyre, then Alpine’s Pierre Gasly (1:06.800) and Franco Colapinto (1:07.516).
53 minutes to go: Verstappen sets early pace
Max Verstappen sets the early pace with a 1:06.131 on the hard tyre to jump to the top of the times with three purple sectors. Plenty of more speed to come, however.
Him picking the hards means he only has one set left for Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix – are Red Bull thinking of a two-stop strategy?
GREEN FLAG: Free Practice 3 begins in Austria
Drivers will have one hour to get their set-ups dialled in ahead of qualifying, which could be key for Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc as they bid to nail down their upgrades.
Red Bull and Max Verstappen are also famed for turning around their cars overnight, can it get them into the battle with the two McLaren cars?
Fernando Alonso is the first car out on track and he’s on the medium tyres, and he’s quickly joined by his colleague, Lance Stroll. Aston Martin are keen to use this time up.
Can Max Verstappen spring a shock in Austria?
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen tends to go well in Spielberg, winning more often than not so can he flex his muscles in Free Practice 3 and get into the mix with the two McLarens?
His adoring Orange Army will be hoping so ahead of qualifying as the four-time world champion targets his third victory of the season and looks to get his championship defence back on track.
Welcome to the blog!
It’s qualifying day for the 2025 Austrian GP but first up is Free Practice 3 at the Red Bull Ring as McLaren aim to build upon their momentum after topping FP2 on Friday, with Lando Norris ahead of Oscar Piastri.
Max Verstappen is close by too, but is there a lot more pace to come after Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin found itself in fourth place by the chequered flag?
Find out right here with Total-Motorsport.com.
Where to Watch 2025 Austrian GP FP3
For viewers in the United States, the 2025 Austrian GP Free Practice 3 session will be shown live on ESPNU, with streaming coverage via ESPN+. In the UK, all sessions, including FP3, are available on Sky Sports F1. Fans in Australia can catch all the action on Fox Sports 506, Kayo Sports, and Foxtel.
What time is FP3 at the 2025 Austrian GP?
Free Practice 3 for the 2025 Austrian GP begins at 12:30 local time (CEST) on Saturday in Spielberg. Which means a late morning 11:30am start for those in the UK. In the USA, FP3 begins at 6:30am ET, which is a 3:30am PT start. In Australia, the FP3 session in Austria begins at 8:30pm on Saturday evening.
- Austria (CEST) – 12:30 PM (Saturday)
- United Kingdom (BST) – 11:30 AM (Saturday)
- USA Eastern (EDT) – 6:30 AM (Saturday)
- USA Pacific (PDT) – 3:30 AM (Saturday)
- Australia (AEST) – 8:30 PM (Saturday)
