Kimi Antonelli has picked up where he left off in Austria, firing Mercedes to the top of the timing screens in the first phase of qualifying at the Red Bull Ring. A 1:07.083 was enough to headline Q1, but it didn’t exactly put daylight between him and the usual suspects — Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton were both close enough to make this feel less like a statement and more like an opening bid.
Norris slotted McLaren into second on a 1:07.259, with Hamilton’s Ferrari just a fraction further back on 1:07.290. On a circuit where everything is compressed by short lap time and a layout that punishes the smallest hesitation, that trio being split by just over two tenths is about as “Austria” as it gets.
Behind them, the real eye-catcher was Liam Lawson putting the Racing Bulls fourth with a 1:07.385, ahead of George Russell in the second Mercedes. Russell’s 1:07.398 left him staring at the wrong side of the intra-team comparison for now, while Max Verstappen only went sixth (1:07.407) — close, of course, but not the clean Q1 flex we’ve come to associate with him around here.
Even more intriguing: Isack Hadjar was basically welded to Verstappen’s time, just one thousandth slower in seventh. If you’re Red Bull, you can read that two ways. Either the car’s in a sweet spot and the second entry is right there, or the margins are so fine that the smallest detail in prep is going to swing the order when it matters.
Oscar Piastri took eighth for McLaren on 1:07.487, with Charles Leclerc ninth for Ferrari (1:07.543). Arvid Lindblad made it two Racing Bulls in the top 10 in Q1, his 1:07.549 continuing a quietly impressive start to the weekend for that garage.
Further back, Alpine got both cars safely through the first cut with Franco Colapinto 11th (1:07.894) and Pierre Gasly 13th (1:08.038), split by Gabriel Bortoleto’s Audi in 12th. Audi also had Nico Hulkenberg through in 15th, while Oliver Bearman’s 1:08.061 put the Haas rookie 14th and just ahead of his veteran team-mate Esteban Ocon, who ended Q1 16th.
Williams will be the ones feeling they left too much on the table. Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon only managed 17th and 18th respectively, both outside the Q1 top-16 bracket and with no margin to spare in a session this tight. When the midfield is stacked inside tenths, “nearly there” may as well be nowhere.
Cadillac’s first Austrian Saturday in Formula 1 continues to look like a slog rather than a breakthrough. Sergio Perez was 19th on 1:08.945, with Valtteri Bottas 20th on 1:09.030, and neither looked in range of the cut line as the track evolved.
Aston Martin’s problems were even more stark. Fernando Alonso could do no better than 21st (1:09.942), and Lance Stroll was last on 1:10.363 — a bleak picture on a circuit that usually rewards a car with decent traction and efficiency. Whatever they’ve brought to Spielberg, it hasn’t landed.
With the session still unfolding, the Q1 order is just the first clue — but it’s a meaningful one. Antonelli’s pace looks real, McLaren and Ferrari are right there, and Red Bull isn’t cruising. On this track, that’s often the recipe for a properly messy, properly entertaining shootout when the pressure rises.
**Q1 classification (leading times):**
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) 1:07.083
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) 1:07.259
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 1:07.290
4. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) 1:07.385
5. George Russell (Mercedes) 1:07.398
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:07.407
7. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) 1:07.408
8. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) 1:07.487
9. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 1:07.543
10. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) 1:07.549
11. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) 1:07.894
12. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) 1:08.035
13. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) 1:08.038
14. Oliver Bearman (Haas) 1:08.061
15. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) 1:08.066
16. Esteban Ocon (Haas) 1:08.231
17. Carlos Sainz (Williams) 1:08.252
18. Alex Albon (Williams) 1:08.509
19. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) 1:08.945
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) 1:09.030
21. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) 1:09.942
22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) 1:10.363
