Max Verstappen fastest in FP1, ahead of Austrian GP qualifying

The limited time that drivers had to prepare for qualifying in the Austrian Grand Prix was reduced further as two red flags interrupted the first practice session of the weekend

Red Bull of Max Verstappen in practice for the 2022 Austrian GP

Verstappen was fastest by 0.2sec in FP1

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Max Verstappen was fastest after first practice for the Austrian Grand Prix, in a disrupted hour-long session that was stopped twice.

It is the only session ahead of qualifying this afternoon, which sets the grid for tomorrow’s sprint race. The limited time available was reduced further as Lando Norris came to a halt, complaining of smoke coming from his seat and triggering a red flag to recover his car. A second red flag was shown later in the session to allow debris to be cleared.

Most drivers fitted soft tyres for push laps towards the end of the session, and Verstappen emerged on top: his 1min 6.302 lap was 0.2sec clear of Charles Leclerc. With four wins already at the Red Bull Ring, he was already favourite for the race

Behind the two front-runners was George Russell with a 1min 6.702sec lap. The top five was rounded up by Sergio Perez, over half a second slower than his team-mate, and Lewis Hamilton.

It wasn’t an ideal session for Carlos Sainz who could only manage seventh, but Fernando Alonso showed strong pace, finishing eighth fastest despite being on the medium tyre.

Kevin Magnussen split Hamilton and Sainz, while Mick Schumacher and Yuki Tsunoda were ninth and tenth, respectively.

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Teams looked to maximise their time on track as soon as the pitlane exit light turned green, and Verstappen’s 1min 8.656 lap set the pace early on, while his team-mate had a trip into the gravel at Turn 4 within the opening five minutes.

The times continued to fall as drivers circulated on the medium tyre. Verstappen remained at the top, initially followed by Alonso, and then by Leclerc, who set a time 0.568sec slower than Verstappen’s improved 1min 7.496 lap.

Then, 20 minutes in, the first red flag was waved. Going through the middle sector, Norris stopped on the side of the track, after telling his team that smoke was coming from under his seat and his car was on fire. He leapt out and his car was recovered, although there was no sign of a blaze.

The clock was left ticking and the eight-minute stoppage brought the session close to its halfway point; the cue for the first teams to send their cars out on soft tyres to prepare for qualifying.

Hairpin bend at Red Bull Ring in practice for the 2022 Austrian GP

There was only one practice session before qualifying, and two red flags reduced track time even further

Clive Rose/Getty Images

Sainz initially went fastest with a 1min 7.149 before Leclerc then beat that by half a second to briefly top the timesheet. Verstappen then retook that spot with a 1min 6.302 lap.

With 21 minutes to go, a second red flag stopped the session because of a piece of debris on track, which Alex Albon ran over. The session got going again with 15 minutes left and the majority of drivers on soft tyres, with the exception of the Alpine drivers and Daniel Ricciardo who was struggling with setup. With Norris remaining in the pits, it capped a miserable session for McLaren.

As the final laps came in, Leclerc managed to improve his lap time with a 1min 6.557sec effort, but was still a couple of tenths off Verstappen. Alonso was the only medium-tyred driver inside the top 10.

 

2022 Austrian Grand Prix FP1 results

Position Driver Team Time
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 1min 06.302sec
2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1min 06.557sec
3 George Russell Mercedes 1min 06.702sec
4 Sergio Perez Red Bull 1min 06.839sec
5 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1min 06.909sec
6 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1min 06.965sec
7 Carlos Sainz Ferrari 1min 07.039sec
8 Fernando Alonso Alpine 1min 07.100sec
9 Mick Schumacher Haas 1min 07.246sec
10 Yuki Tsunoda AlphaTauri 1min 07.296sec
11 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1min 07.431sec
12 Esteban Ocon Alpine 1min 07.462sec
13 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin 1min 07.476sec
14 Valtteri Bottas Alfa Romeo 1min 07.522sec
15 Alex Albon Williams 1min 07.582sec
16 Pierre Gasly AlphaTauri 1min 07.592sec
17 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren 1min 07.743sec
18 Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo 1min 07.889sec
19 Nicholas Latifi Williams 1min 08.149sec
20 Lando Norris McLaren 1min 09.915sec

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Spielberg - Grand Prix Circuit

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Chicane built at Turn 2 for motorcycle racing. Grand Prix track unaltered

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Carlos Sainz jr (McLaren MCL35-Renault), 1m05.619, 147.250 mph, F1, 2020

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