Kimi Antonelli rebounded from heartbreak in Barcelona when he topped the timesheets in first practice for the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix from Mercedes team-mate George Russell on Friday.
Championship leader Antonelli clocked 1 minute 7.796 seconds on the 4,321-kilometres Red Bull Ring to pip Russell by four-hundredths of a second in sweltering conditions.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was third just over one-tenth behind, ahead of Max Verstappen in an upgraded car from home team Red Bull and Lewis Hamilton, who had claimed his first win in a Ferrari in the Barcelona-Catalunya race a fortnight ago.
Antonelli was stopped by a technical problem late in that race which ended the Italian teenager’s run of five straight victories.
Antonelli tops the championship 41 points ahead of Hamilton and 50 ahead of Russell.
Reigning champion Lando Norris placed seventh, more than a second behind Antonelli. Due to an alleged hydraulics problem with his McLaren, Norris could only compete in the later stages of the session which was red-flagged a minute from the end when Sergio Perez’ Cadillac stopped on the track.
