Image: from Speedcafe.com X @speedcafe
By Open Chronicle
SPIELBERG, Austria, June 27, 2026, George Russell set the fastest time in the third and final free practice session for the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes one-two ahead of teammate Kimi Antonelli at the Red Bull Ring.
Russell produced a lap of 1:07.096 in the closing minutes of the session, edging Antonelli by just 0.038 seconds after the Italian had topped much of the hour. Lewis Hamilton placed Ferrari third, while Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris completed the top five for McLaren.
Mercedes leads the way
The session began quietly, with teams limiting their early running to preserve tires. Sergio Pérez was the first driver on track after missing most of Friday’s second practice due to electronic control unit issues with his Cadillac.
As more drivers joined the circuit, lap times quickly improved. Lando Norris initially moved to the top before Antonelli delivered an impressive performance, setting the fastest sectors and lowering the benchmark to 1:07.134.
Russell steadily closed the gap throughout the session before delivering the fastest lap on fresher soft tires during the final qualifying simulations.
Tight battle at the front
The leading six drivers finished within three tenths of a second, suggesting an intense fight for pole position later on Saturday.
Hamilton finished only 0.115 seconds behind Russell, while Piastri, Norris, and reigning world champion Max Verstappen remained firmly in contention.
Verstappen continued to experience minor issues during the session, reporting radio interference and requesting changes to his headset and balaclava before improving to sixth place.
Ferrari also appeared competitive, with Charles Leclerc ending the session seventh after abandoning one promising flying lap.
Bortoleto misses the top ten
Gabriel Bortoleto endured a more difficult final practice after an encouraging tenth-place finish in Friday’s second session.
The Brazilian briefly ran inside the top ten before an error at Turn 3 forced him to abandon a fast lap. He eventually finished 13th with a best time of 1:08.311, just eight thousandths of a second behind Audi teammate Nico Hülkenberg.
Elsewhere, Race Control remained busy monitoring track limits throughout the session, while Carlos Sainz received a black and white warning flag for driving unnecessarily slowly. Norris also reported damage to his left side mirror during the closing stages.
Austrian Grand Prix FP3 Results
- George Russell (Mercedes), 1:07.096
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 1:07.134
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 1:07.211
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 1:07.344
- Lando Norris (McLaren), 1:07.360
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 1:07.369
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 1:07.452
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls), 1:07.912
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), 1:08.031
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), 1:08.109
Mercedes now heads into qualifying as the team to beat, with Russell and Antonelli both showing excellent pace throughout the weekend. However, Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull remain within striking distance, setting the stage for a closely contested battle for pole position at the Red Bull Ring.