Austrian GP: Antonelli tops FP2 as McLaren in the mix; both Cadillacs run into problems
Kimi Antonelli was fastest in FP2 in Spielberg, with both McLarens in close company.
Kimi Antonelli went fastest in FP2 for the Austrian Grand Prix, two tenths clear of the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Max Verstappen was fourth for Red Bull, with Lewis Hamilton rounding out the top five as, at the other end of the field, both Cadillac drivers suffered their own issues.
Austrian GP: Antonelli P1 as Cadillac duo suffer early exits
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The sun still shone at the Red Bull Ring as FP2 got underway, the track temperature dropping to a still-very-warm 48°C as the drivers headed out on track.
Among them were the six to miss out on FP1 due to teams taking the chance to run a mandatory rookie session, with Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz, Liam Lawson, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll and Gabriel Bortoleto all getting back behind the wheel.
Alex Albon reported having ‘no power’ on his first exploratory lap, with Williams taking his car back into the garage for a look and repair. Max Verstappen, meanwhile, complained of a “completely different” seat position compared to first practice as drivers combatted early issues on track.
Sergio Perez came grinding to a halt at the end of FP1, and despite a change of ECU on his car, he soon reported the same issue and pulled over at Turn 6 – temporarily halting meaningful running with a Virtual Safety Car.
Almost 10 minutes later, green flag running resumed as the drivers looked at putting laps on the board, though Franco Colapinto and Lando Norris both pushed the limits somewhat – Colapinto running wide and onto the gravel at Turn 6, with Norris locking up and pulling a 180° spin on the entry to Turn 3.
A 1:08.000 was the early benchmark from the reigning world champion, before Kimi Antonelli lowered it to a 1:07.656, but qualifying simulations on soft tyres were still to come.
With Perez back in the garage, there were double issues for Cadillac as Valtteri Bottas slowly trailed around much of the lap, sparks flying from his floor as it seemingly dragged along the track and back to the pit lane.
After reporting smoke in the cockpit, Bottas’ floor was extinghuised after a small fire broke out, which reignited even after the team put it out for the first time. Mechanics were on hand to control the issue, however – but that was the end of the Finn’s session.
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Oscar Piastri was the first among the frontrunners to try a flying lap on softs, going four tenths quicker than Antonelli on a 1:07.251, with Lewis Hamilton slotting in three tenths behind the McLaren driver.
Norris was next, but could not top his teammate by going 0.088s behind, with the Mercedes duo still to run.
Antonelli crossed the line and clocked a 1:07.209, just four hundredths quicker than Piastri, while George Russell was over half a second back.
Norris tried another flyer, but lost time suffering a snap of oversteer through Turn 7. Another attempt from Antonelli soon followed, too, but the Italian did find more time as he went two tenths clear of Piastri.
Russell, meanwhile, could only go six tenths behind his teammate as his onboards appeared to show him driving with understeer in the middle sector.
While the earlier VSC had limited early runs, the drivers completed the session with race simulations as teams look to plot their race strategies come sunday at the Austrian Grand Prix.
FP2 standings: 2026 Austrian Grand Prix
1 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:07.014
2 Oscar Piastri McLaren +0.237
3 Lando Norris McLaren +0.325
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull +0.550
5 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari +0.597
6 George Russell Mercedes +0.623
7 Isack Hadjar Red Bull +0.744
8 Charles Leclerc Ferrari +0.841
9 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls +1.221
10 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi +1.286
11 Pierre Gasly Alpine +1.362
12 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls +1.364
13 Oliver Bearman Haas +1.518
14 Nico Hulkenberg Audi +1.545
15 Esteban Ocon Haas +1.816
16 Franco Colapinto Alpine +1.817
17 Alex Albon Williams +1.824
18 Carlos Sainz Williams +2.117
19 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin +3.530
20 Lance Stroll Aston Martin +3.684
21 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac +4.293
22 Sergio Perez Cadillac NO TIME
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