Red Bull Ring: Max fourth in FP1

Published on 26 June 2026 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen finished fourth in the opening practice session of the Austrian Grand Prix. The Mercedes set the pace with Kimi Antonelli lapping the Red Bull Ring quickest ahead of teammate George Russell. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri completed the top three.

FP1 sees several reserve and rookie drivers make an appearance. Paul Aron (Audi), Luke Browning (Williams), Dino Beganovic (Ferrari), Ayumu Iwasa (Racing Bulls), Ryo Hirakawa (Haas) and Jak Crawford (Aston Martin) all take to the picturesque Red Bull Ring.

Max endures a frustrating start to the session with the RB22 stalling in the pitlane. “Every time I release the clutch, I go into anti-stall.” The Dutchman is pushed back into the garage and ten minutes later, he attempts to leave the pits again. Unfortunately for the four-time champion, the result is the same with his car conking out again, resulting in more time in garage.

Meanwhile, Mercedes have led the way in the first quarter with Antonelli and George Russell topping the leaderboards.

Max’s session gets finally under way with forty minutes remaining. He hits the ground running and goes third fastest on his first timed lap.

At the halfway mark, the only two drivers that have yet to complete a lap are Lando Norris (McLaren) and Isack Hadjar (Oracle Red Bull Racing). With 25 minutes to go, Hadjar finally makes an appearance. Five minutes later, reigning champion Norris also hits the track.

At the end most other drivers venture out on the soft Pirellis, pushing the lap times further down. Piastri moves into third, Max to fourth and Hamilton to fifth. The Mercedes remain the benchmark and finish the session in first and second respectively.

Results first free practice Austria: