Austrian GP: Russell rebounds, edges Antonelli in final practice

George Russell put an end to Mercede teammate Kimi Antonelli’s dominance this weekend at the Red Bull Ring as the Briton topped Saturday’s final practice in a closely fought session that strengthened the Silver Arrows credentials ahead of qualifying.

Antonelli had appeared set to complete a perfect practice run after leading much of the session. The Italian rookie posted a 1:07.134 on fresh soft tyres with 27 minutes remaining, opening a four-tenth advantage over Russell.

But the latter fought back after Mercedes adjusted his front suspension settings in an effort to improve the balance of his car.

Despite struggling with understeer through the high-speed corners, Russell found enough grip on worn tyres to produce a late improvement.

His final lap of 1:07.096 was enough to move him just 0.038 seconds clear of Antonelli.

Ferrari shows stronger pace after Friday struggles

Ferrari looked far more competitive compared with Friday’s difficult running, with Charles Leclerc slotting his SF-26 between the two Mercedes cars for much of the session.

Lewis Hamilton also showed encouraging speed, ultimately finishing just a tenth away from Russell as Ferrari appeared to close the gap ahead of qualifying.

McLaren followed closely behind, with Oscar Piastri narrowly ahead of Lando Norris as the usual tight battle between the two teammates continued.

Max Verstappen looked more comfortable in the Red Bull than Isack Hadjar, although the team used different tyre strategies. Verstappen ran the soft compound like most of his rivals, while Hadjar completed his programme on hard tyres to preserve an extra set of softs for qualifying.

Struggles continue for Williams and Aston Martin

All four Red Bull cars made the top 10 at the team’s home circuit, with Liam Lawson leading the chasing pack in ninth and Arvid Lindblad completing the top 10.

Nico Hulkenberg ended 12th behind Pierre Gasly despite a mistake at Turn 9 during a late flying lap, while Williams continued to struggle with grip issues and appeared vulnerable heading into qualifying.

After difficulties with new components on Friday, Cadillac enjoyed a smoother session and finished ahead of both Aston Martins. Fernando Alonso reported significant understeer in his AMR26, adding to Aston Martin’s concerns as the team searches for performance.

With qualifying approaching, Mercedes enters the session as the team to beat, but Ferrari’s improved pace and the close margins behind suggest the battle at the front remains wide open.

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