Mercedes may have finished on top of the timesheets in opening practice for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix, but Free Practice 1 was defined just as much by reliability concerns, upgrade evaluations, and teams running vastly different programs as it was by outright lap time.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli topped the session with a 1:07.796 ahead of teammate George Russell, completing an unexpected Mercedes one-two despite extensive discussion heading into the weekend about the team’s revised package. Oscar Piastri finished third for McLaren, followed by Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Arvid Lindblad, Lando Norris, Franco Colapinto, Dino Beganovic and Oliver Bearman.
While Mercedes walked away with the fastest two laps, the biggest takeaway from Friday morning may have been a reminder that practice sessions rarely tell the full story.
Mercedes responds with impressive opening pace
After arriving in Austria amid discussion surrounding changes to its car, Mercedes immediately found itself at the top of the timing screens.
Antonelli led Russell in a Mercedes one-two, prompting immediate debate over whether the Silver Arrows had recovered performance despite their revised package.
At the same time, it remains only the opening practice session, with teams operating different fuel loads, engine modes and test programs. Friday mornings frequently produce eye-catching headlines that ultimately disappear by qualifying, making it difficult to judge the true competitive order after just one hour of running.
Ferrari keeps expectations in check
Lewis Hamilton finished fifth while Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic impressed in ninth.
Ferrari’s pace immediately became one of the biggest talking points, although much of the discussion centered around whether the Scuderia was deliberately running conservatively.
Several different theories emerged throughout the session. Some suggested Ferrari was focusing on higher fuel running, while others pointed toward conservative cooling configurations similar to previous race weekends. There were also conflicting reports over exactly when Ferrari’s new power unit would be introduced, with some indicating it would arrive later in the weekend while others believed it was already fitted but not being fully exploited.
Whatever the case, there was broad recognition that Ferrari’s Friday programs have often looked very different from its eventual qualifying pace.
Rather than viewing fifth place as a cause for concern, the session reinforced that it remains extremely difficult to judge Ferrari’s true performance before teams begin removing compromises and focusing on outright speed.
Norris’ reliability nightmare continues
If there was one storyline that overshadowed the lap times themselves, it was Lando Norris’ latest reliability setback.
Before FP1 had properly settled into rhythm, Norris was already dealing with another hydraulic issue that severely compromised his running. Despite spending much of the session in the garage, he still recovered to finish seventh.
The result only added to what has become an extraordinary pattern throughout the 2026 season.
According to a running list compiled after Austria, Norris has now suffered significant technical issues during every race weekend since adopting the number one plate.
Those problems have ranged from gearbox, clutch, deployment and steering issues to multiple battery failures, hydraulic leaks, electrical faults, brake problems, radio failures, power unit concerns, rear wing problems and race-ending retirements.
Austria simply became the latest chapter after a hydraulic leak compromised the opening session.
The sheer frequency of the problems has become impossible to ignore. While Oscar Piastri has encountered occasional issues of his own, Norris’ side of the McLaren garage has repeatedly suffered interruptions that have prevented clean practice weekends.
The encouraging sign for McLaren is that Norris still managed seventh despite barely running. The concern is that another weekend has once again begun with technical setbacks before meaningful running could even begin.
Heat raises fresh reliability concerns
The extreme Austrian temperatures quickly became another major talking point.
Several teams encountered mechanical issues throughout the session, leading to growing discussion over whether reliability could become a decisive factor if similar conditions continue through qualifying and Sunday’s race.
McLaren’s problems were the most visible thanks to Norris’ limited running.
Red Bull also endured a disrupted session after Max Verstappen experienced a clutch issue before later reporting significant vibration under braking, describing the car as shaking heavily.
Isack Hadjar also spent time in the garage as Red Bull’s preparations were interrupted on both sides.
Meanwhile Sergio Pérez’s Cadillac suffered repeated mechanical problems before eventually stopping on track to trigger the session-ending red flag.
Earlier in the session the Cadillac had reportedly shut itself down multiple times, while television cameras also showed the car visibly shaking, particularly when operating on the pit limiter.
Rather than appearing as isolated incidents, the reliability concerns spread across multiple manufacturers as temperatures climbed.
Cadillac encouraged despite Pérez problems
Pérez’s stoppage ultimately brought out the red flag, but Cadillac still emerged from FP1 with reasons for optimism.
The American team arrived with one of the largest upgrade packages of the weekend, introducing changes across the sidepods, cooling package, floor, diffuser, beam wing and several aerodynamic components.
Despite Pérez’s reliability issues, Cadillac’s overall pace appeared encouraging enough to generate optimism heading deeper into the weekend.
Alpine spends Friday learning
Alpine described the opening session as a productive hour of learning.
Colapinto finished eighth while Pierre Gasly ended the session 14th.
The team spent much of FP1 evaluating revised front wing components, with both drivers testing different configurations throughout the session.
Gasly also experienced several off-track moments during the evaluation work, making his final position somewhat less representative than a straightforward timing sheet might suggest.
Verstappen’s cooling system highlights heat challenge
The heat wasn’t only affecting reliability.
During Verstappen’s early return to the garage, cameras captured an angled device connected to the Red Bull.
The equipment appeared to be directing cold air into the driver’s cooling intake and cockpit area while mechanics worked on the car, highlighting just how aggressively teams were managing temperatures throughout the session.
Combined with enlarged cooling configurations seen elsewhere in the paddock, it underlined how managing heat may become just as important as extracting outright performance this weekend.
Upgrades everywhere… except two teams
Austria marked one of the busiest upgrade weekends of the season.
Red Bull introduced reliability changes alongside performance upgrades covering the floor, rear suspension, rear wing and multiple aerodynamic components.
Ferrari brought updates including revised front wing endplates, floor board and mirror stay.
McLaren introduced rear corner and rear wing developments.
Mercedes focused on front suspension performance alongside expanded cooling capability.
Audi arrived with one of the largest aerodynamic packages of the field.
Alpine revised its front wing, nose, front corner and diffuser.
Cadillac also unveiled an extensive package spanning much of the car.
Haas and Racing Bulls each introduced smaller update packages.
Only Aston Martin and Williams arrived without declared upgrades for the Austrian Grand Prix weekend.
Friday remains just Friday
Perhaps the biggest conclusion from FP1 was not who topped the timing screens, but how little certainty exists after the opening session.
Mercedes left Friday morning fastest.
Ferrari appeared content to focus on its own program.
McLaren once again demonstrated impressive pace while battling reliability.
Red Bull’s preparations were interrupted by technical issues.
Cadillac showed encouraging signs despite Pérez’s red flag.
With varying fuel loads, engine settings, upgrade evaluations and cooling configurations all playing significant roles, FP1 served as another reminder that the opening practice session often creates more questions than answers.
Austria’s first hour may have belonged to Mercedes on paper, but the real story was how many teams left the circuit believing they had far more performance still to unlock before qualifying.