George Russell led the first practice session for the Austrian Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Max Verstappen. Irish teenager Alex Dunne also made a strong impression during his debut for McLaren.
Russell, who recently won in Canada and mentioned Mercedes` discussions with Verstappen about his future, narrowly beat Verstappen by 0.065 seconds at Red Bull`s home circuit.
Oscar Piastri, the championship leader, secured third place. Alex Dunne, substituting for Lando Norris in this session, finished an impressive fourth, just a quarter of a second behind Russell.
F1 regulations require teams to use a rookie driver in at least four practice sessions each season. McLaren utilized this rule to give Dunne a chance, and he clearly made a significant positive impression on the paddock.
The 19-year-old Dunne, who currently leads the Formula 2 championship, is the first Irish driver to participate in an F1 race weekend since Ralph Firman in 2003.
After the session, Dunne expressed his gratitude over the radio, saying, “I want to say a massive thank you. A little boy`s dream came true, and this is definitely the best day of my life.”
He added, “Thank you everyone for letting me do this, and thanks to Lando as well for trusting me with his car.”
Born in Offaly on November 11, 2005, Dunne progressed through karting and single-seater categories with notable results, including finishing second to Kimi Antonelli in Italian F4.
As the current F2 championship leader, his practice debut was described as `impressive` by McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, further highlighting his talent.
Bernie Collins commented on Dunne`s performance:
`You just want him to have a good session and everything to go well. All credit to him.
`He`s looked so strong in F2 and done a fantastic job. I couldn`t be prouder of him.`
Stella commented: “Alex has been quite diligent and impressive. And then he also had the chance to show some speed and, no surprise, he is a fast driver.”
He cautioned, “I think we need to be a bit careful looking at the lap times, because his came later on in the stint when the fuel was down.”
Adding to his remarks, Stella stated, “But I think encouraging and impressive in terms of Alex himself, and also I think a good session for McLaren.”
Lewis Hamilton encountered a gearbox problem during the session and finished ninth. Ferrari introduced a new floor in Austria, aiming to close the performance gap to the leading teams.
Ferrari also featured a rookie driver, Dino Beganovic, who replaced Charles Leclerc. Leclerc will rejoin Norris for the second practice session on Friday afternoon.
Pierre Gasly of Alpine finished fifth, followed by Gabriel Bortoleto from Sauber in sixth. The close lap times on the short Austrian circuit suggest midfield teams may have opportunities to score points.
The Williams drivers, Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, secured seventh and eighth place, respectively. Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar of Racing Bulls completed the top 10.
Fernando Alonso experienced a significant spin at the final corner but managed to avoid hitting the barriers, ending up in 14th position. The tight field saw the top 19 drivers separated by less than a second.
Austrian GP Practice One Timesheet
| Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1) George Russell | Mercedes | 1:05.542 |
| 2) Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.065 |
| 3) Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.155 |
| 4) Alex Dunne | McLaren | +0.224 |
| 5) Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.238 |
| 6) Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | +0.332 |
| 7) Alex Albon | Williams | +0.404 |
| 8) Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.475 |
| 9) Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.557 |
| 10) Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +0.568 |
| 11) Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.588 |
| 12) Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | +0.598 |
| 13) Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +0.618 |
| 14) Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.628 |
| 15) Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.647 |
| 16) Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +0.704 |
| 17) Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +0.720 |
| 18) Dino Beganovic | Ferrari | +0.827 |
| 19) Esteban Ocon | Haas | +0.968 |
| 20) Oliver Bearman | Haas | +1.196 |
Austrian GP Schedule
Friday June 27
F3 Qualifying
F2 Qualifying
Austrian GP Practice Two (session starts at 4pm)
The F1 Show
Saturday June 28
F3 Sprint
Austrian GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
F2 Sprint
Austrian GP Qualifying build-up
AUSTRIAN GP QUALIFYING
Ted`s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday June 29
F3 Feature Race
F2 Feature Race
Porsche Supercup
Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up
THE AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX
Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction
Ted`s Notebook
