Isack Hadjar has admitted that he was "surprised" by the lack of grip he felt despite Red Bull's major upgrade package making its debut on the car.
Hadjar was seventh in second practice at the Austrian Grand Prix and teammate Max Verstappen was fourth but over half a second off leader Kimi Antonelli.
Hadjar said: "No, itâs not a completely different car, to be honest. It feels like the usual, to be fair, so we still have work to do to catch up.
"For some reason, we were quite slow to get started, and the car comes alive sometimes in qualifying. We need to get it sorted because itâs quite tough.
"No grip (at turn 3). We are struggling with grip, which is surprising. Itâs a speed range weâve been good at, so to have this behaviour from the car, I donât understand.
"We want to make the car work in every session. We donât want luck to be helping us. We want to do the job ourselves. Whatever the track gives you, you need to be fast."
Ex-Formula 1 driver Karun Chandlock has praised Kimi Antonelli and believes the Mercedes man is in 'devastating form' after topping the first two practices at the Austrian Grand Prix.
"He looks on devastating form," Chandlock told Sky Sports F1. "When we went to Barcelona, from the first run in practice, George looked like he was there and, if anything, a bit ahead.
"Here has been the opposite and like we saw in Monaco, Miami. It feels like there has been a status quo reset in terms of this season.
"George will need to have a good sleep on it, look at the data and see what he can do tomorrow. Quite clearly, Day 1, advantage to Kimi Antonelli."
Laurent Mekies has shared a new update on Max Verstappen's future and hinted that he is set to remain at Red Bull for the long term.
"Max wants a fast car, always wanted a fast car, and he completely trusts us in making sure we are doing everything we can in the short-term and the long-term to ensure we return to success and continue to succeed," said Mekies on Friday.
"We look at the results on the track, thatâs the only thing that matters, and hopefully the results will improve rapidly."
We are well underway now during Practice Two here in Austria, and it's Lando Norris who has recorded the fasted lap so far.
The Brit is followed by McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in second with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli down in third.
George Russell has not been on track yet as work is still going on with his Mercedes, while Sergio Perez stopped again - as he did near the end of the first practice session - and was forced to be dragged to the pit.
The FIA has ordered Mercedes to make some fast changes to the rear of their car after issuing a clarification of the rules. The governing body of F1 were called to look into the issue, after Lewis Hamilton took a look at the back of Kimi Antonelli's car.
The main area of concern were the serrated wedges used to lengthen the diffuser for aerodynamic gain, which were argued to be a safety risk by Ferrari and others. The FIA agreed and have ordered Mercedes to make changes ahead of the Austrian GP.
Tech analyst Bernie Collins explained the changes, saying: "You can see just at the very last element of the diffuser, there's two little tabs on each side. Those tabs extended further, previously, and that was in order to produce more downforce off the very, very end of the diffuser.
"Mercedes, for this event, because they don't have a lot of time, have just had to grind those off, which is why we can still see the little tabs."
TO READ THE FULL STORY CLICK HERE
Alan Permane has insisted he is happy with Liam Lawson and Rookie Lindblad, after Nikola Tsolov was linked with Racing Bulls.
He made his position clear while speaking with Sky Sports. He said: "I'm very happy, they're doing everything that we're asking of them and I'm asking of them. They're concentrating well, working hard and delivering on track, which is the important thing of course."
When asked about the Tsolov rumours, he said: "They're just rumours. Honestly, we haven't even discussed it, not at all."
TO READ THE FULL STORY CLICK HERE
Fernando Alonso has hit out at the huge sums of money the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren have spent on their upgrades. Aston Martin have already made it clear no upgrades will be made to their car until after the summer break.
Referring to their state of affairs, Alonso said: "Apparently there is no money to bring upgrades, unlimited upgrades, like the other teams they do, which is surprising to see the FIA page on Friday every race because maybe they have the money machine in the minus one in the factory."
He added: "We don't know exactly the cost cap limitation, gap limitations and how much is going to change in the car and the time that it was needed to understand the problems. It's not that you can try error with some of the upgrades.
"So I think we took the first three or four races to really understand our weaknesses and our limitations, to start testing on the wind tunnel solutions, to see also the other cars, what kind of solutions they implement and which one of them are working on.
"When you take all that on the table, you start programming the upgraded package. And obviously, it takes time."
Oscar Piastri feels Pierre Gasly's controversial reinstatement to third in the Monaco GP may set a "tricky precedent" for the sport. Gasly crossed the line at third but was demoted to seventh after being handed two five-second points penalties.
His podium finish was then reinstated after Alpine produced new evidence including data from Formula One Management (FOM), which insisted the timing system used to calculate speed in the pitlanes was inaccurate.
After this incident, Piastri believes it could trigger endless disputes, saying: "I think the most obvious one is to make sure the pit lane is measured correctly. That's a good starting point, obviously.
"I think what is difficult in that situation is that Alpine questioned the penalty. I think everybody questioned the penalties. I've never seen a race like that where there are so many pit lane speeding penalties.
"In my case specifically, I knew I wasn't speeding either, but the approach is always, 'Well, you have the penalty, you can't really argue with it,' in a lot of cases, which I think in 99 per cent of things is a good thing."
The current heatwave around Europe has prompted the FIA to issue F1's heat hazard rules.
Forecasts for the Red Bull Ring have surpassed the trigger point under the regulations.
As a result, FIA F1 Race Director Rui Marques issued a message to teams.
He wrote: âIn accordance with Article B1.5.10 of the FIA F1 Regulations, having received a forecast from the Official Weather Service predicting that the Heat Index will be greater than 31.0°C at some time during the Race at this Competition, a Heat Hazard is declared."
The rules dictate teams must fit driver cooling systems to their cars ahead of the GP. These feed fluid through the drivers' fireproof vests beneath their race suit.
Lewis Hamilton has opened up about the injury he suffered at the Barcelona GP last year. Hamilton was victorious in Catalunya last week, but one year previously he suffered an injury which still disrupts him.
He said: "I hit the wall very hard last year in testing. I've knocked out one of the discs in my neck protruding into the nerve. So, I couldn't do it a lot for like nine weeks.
"And I was just having chiropractic every day, physio every day, I couldn't sleep. I was on painkillers, had to get injections, I did everything I could to try to fix it.
"That's what I was basically trying to live with, basically. It's not easy in the seat position that you're sitting in."
Lando Norris has blasted McLaren for being "three months behind" their rivals throughout the 2026 campaign. A developmental race has been ongoing with the new regulations which came in this season.
Norris finished third at the Barcelona GP, suggesting his team are making progress. However, if they are, he admits it's slow progress at best.
He said: âThatâs a lot of bits, so I donât think weâre going to be quickest any time soon. Hopefully over the next three, four, five months, we can catch up and narrow the gap to be on pace with them [our rivals].
âTo catch up takes a huge effort from the team, which theyâre doing, and everyoneâs very excited and motivated because we know itâs possible.
"Weâre like three months behind and thatâs a hard task to overcome, but everyone at McLaren knows we can achieve that, and weâre excited to try and do it.â
Kimi Antonelli has warned his Mercedes team will not have an easy procession to the F1 title. He made it clear this year is "not a walk in the park" despite the lead he has amasses.
The current F1 leader lost a lot of momentum after he recorded a DNF at last week's Barcelona GP.
Ahead of the GP, he made it clear he does not expect an easy weekend at the Red Bull Ring. He said: âI have full trust in the team.
"They're pushing incredibly hard, and there's a really good dynamic. Of course, Ferrari, I think, since the start of the season, they've been our main competitors. But Red Bull is going to be very quick this weekend. They're bringing a big package.
âMcLaren is getting closer, but Ferrari is definitely strong, is there, and they have a great lineup. Lewis has been in great form so far. So definitely, it's not going to be a walk in the park, and we still need to really do our best, maximise everything, because there will be a race track where others might be quicker.
âLook at Barcelona. I think the pace was very similar, and at the end, Ferrari was incredibly quick. Or Miami, McLaren was up there, very quick. So I think we need to just maximise every opportunity we have, because I think there will be tracks where we may struggle a bit more, and tracks where we'll be incredibly quick."
Helmut Marko has insisted Max Verstappen's priority is driving in a car which can win him F1 World Drivers' titles. The Dutchman has been linked with an audacious move to McLaren.
He still has a deal with Red Bull, but it's understood there are clauses which can get him out of the deal. Speaking to Kronen Zeitung, Marko said: âFor him, competitiveness always comes first.
âAll top drivers have performance-based exit clauses in their contracts. Discussions are likely taking place on that front right now. It would be best if an agreement could be reached quickly.â
The FIA have concluded Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari was compliant with the 2026 F1 regulations. The car's rear-braking system underwent an "extensive physical inspection" after he won the Barcelona GP.
His car was inspected after he recorded his first victory with the Scuderia at the Barcelona GP. After the triumph, Hamilton's car was randomly selected among the top 10 for inspection.
FIAâs Formula 1 Technical Delegate Jo Bauer has since confirmed the car was compliant. Bauer wrote: âAfter the race in Barcelona, car number 44 was randomly chosen among the top ten cars for more extensive physical inspections.
âSubject to these physical inspections was the rear brake system. On the hardware side, checks were carried out in relation to Articles C11.1, C11.2 (rear only), C11.3 (rear only), C11.4, C11.5 and C11.6.
âOn the electronics and software side, checks were carried out in relation to Articles C8.1, C8.2, C11.6 and FIA-F1-DOC-001: Brake control software registration and verification.
âBrake control software inspection for the interfaces to standard and custom software applications.
âIdentification of sensor and their connections to the FIA standard ECU. Data logging of signals. Homologation status of sensors. FIA-F1-DOC-001 submissions. BBW FMEA.
"All inspected components were found to be in conformance with the 2026 Formula One Technical Regulations.â
George Russell has admitted he is concerned Lewis Hamilton is getting back to his best. At the Barcelona GP, Hamilton scooped up his first win at Ferrari.
It came after back-to-back second placed finishes, a run which has propelled him up to second in the standings. Looking on, Russell said: "You need yourself, your team, the setup, the understanding of the tyres, everything just to click.
"And when it clicks, you fly. As he said, 'it's beautiful'. And that's where he is at the moment. And for sure, he is a big threat. Ferrari are a huge threat.
"Kimi is still very much the driver out front and his performance really incredibly and consistently. But Ferrari feel like they're coming and Lewis is at the forefront of that."
It's Friday and you know what that means - it's almost time for the Austrian GP.
Do you think Lewis Hamilton can record another GP victory to jostle his way into the title picture?
Can George Russell remind everyone there are two stars at Mercedes as well as current leader Kimi Antonelli?
Will McLaren recover from their recent slump and can Max Verstappen find his old magic?
We will investigate and provide all of the latest updates and news from the paddocks.
Hadjar was seventh in second practice at the Austrian Grand Prix and teammate Max Verstappen was fourth but over half a second off leader Kimi Antonelli.
Hadjar said: "No, itâs not a completely different car, to be honest. It feels like the usual, to be fair, so we still have work to do to catch up.
"For some reason, we were quite slow to get started, and the car comes alive sometimes in qualifying. We need to get it sorted because itâs quite tough.
"No grip (at turn 3). We are struggling with grip, which is surprising. Itâs a speed range weâve been good at, so to have this behaviour from the car, I donât understand.
"We want to make the car work in every session. We donât want luck to be helping us. We want to do the job ourselves. Whatever the track gives you, you need to be fast."
Ex-Formula 1 driver Karun Chandlock has praised Kimi Antonelli and believes the Mercedes man is in 'devastating form' after topping the first two practices at the Austrian Grand Prix.
"He looks on devastating form," Chandlock told Sky Sports F1. "When we went to Barcelona, from the first run in practice, George looked like he was there and, if anything, a bit ahead.
"Here has been the opposite and like we saw in Monaco, Miami. It feels like there has been a status quo reset in terms of this season.
"George will need to have a good sleep on it, look at the data and see what he can do tomorrow. Quite clearly, Day 1, advantage to Kimi Antonelli."
Laurent Mekies has shared a new update on Max Verstappen's future and hinted that he is set to remain at Red Bull for the long term.
"Max wants a fast car, always wanted a fast car, and he completely trusts us in making sure we are doing everything we can in the short-term and the long-term to ensure we return to success and continue to succeed," said Mekies on Friday.
"We look at the results on the track, thatâs the only thing that matters, and hopefully the results will improve rapidly."
We are well underway now during Practice Two here in Austria, and it's Lando Norris who has recorded the fasted lap so far.
The Brit is followed by McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in second with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli down in third.
George Russell has not been on track yet as work is still going on with his Mercedes, while Sergio Perez stopped again - as he did near the end of the first practice session - and was forced to be dragged to the pit.
The FIA has ordered Mercedes to make some fast changes to the rear of their car after issuing a clarification of the rules. The governing body of F1 were called to look into the issue, after Lewis Hamilton took a look at the back of Kimi Antonelli's car.
The main area of concern were the serrated wedges used to lengthen the diffuser for aerodynamic gain, which were argued to be a safety risk by Ferrari and others. The FIA agreed and have ordered Mercedes to make changes ahead of the Austrian GP.
Tech analyst Bernie Collins explained the changes, saying: "You can see just at the very last element of the diffuser, there's two little tabs on each side. Those tabs extended further, previously, and that was in order to produce more downforce off the very, very end of the diffuser.
"Mercedes, for this event, because they don't have a lot of time, have just had to grind those off, which is why we can still see the little tabs."
TO READ THE FULL STORY CLICK HERE
Alan Permane has insisted he is happy with Liam Lawson and Rookie Lindblad, after Nikola Tsolov was linked with Racing Bulls.
He made his position clear while speaking with Sky Sports. He said: "I'm very happy, they're doing everything that we're asking of them and I'm asking of them. They're concentrating well, working hard and delivering on track, which is the important thing of course."
When asked about the Tsolov rumours, he said: "They're just rumours. Honestly, we haven't even discussed it, not at all."
TO READ THE FULL STORY CLICK HERE
Fernando Alonso has hit out at the huge sums of money the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren have spent on their upgrades. Aston Martin have already made it clear no upgrades will be made to their car until after the summer break.
Referring to their state of affairs, Alonso said: "Apparently there is no money to bring upgrades, unlimited upgrades, like the other teams they do, which is surprising to see the FIA page on Friday every race because maybe they have the money machine in the minus one in the factory."
He added: "We don't know exactly the cost cap limitation, gap limitations and how much is going to change in the car and the time that it was needed to understand the problems. It's not that you can try error with some of the upgrades.
"So I think we took the first three or four races to really understand our weaknesses and our limitations, to start testing on the wind tunnel solutions, to see also the other cars, what kind of solutions they implement and which one of them are working on.
"When you take all that on the table, you start programming the upgraded package. And obviously, it takes time."
Oscar Piastri feels Pierre Gasly's controversial reinstatement to third in the Monaco GP may set a "tricky precedent" for the sport. Gasly crossed the line at third but was demoted to seventh after being handed two five-second points penalties.
His podium finish was then reinstated after Alpine produced new evidence including data from Formula One Management (FOM), which insisted the timing system used to calculate speed in the pitlanes was inaccurate.
After this incident, Piastri believes it could trigger endless disputes, saying: "I think the most obvious one is to make sure the pit lane is measured correctly. That's a good starting point, obviously.
"I think what is difficult in that situation is that Alpine questioned the penalty. I think everybody questioned the penalties. I've never seen a race like that where there are so many pit lane speeding penalties.
"In my case specifically, I knew I wasn't speeding either, but the approach is always, 'Well, you have the penalty, you can't really argue with it,' in a lot of cases, which I think in 99 per cent of things is a good thing."
The current heatwave around Europe has prompted the FIA to issue F1's heat hazard rules.
Forecasts for the Red Bull Ring have surpassed the trigger point under the regulations.
As a result, FIA F1 Race Director Rui Marques issued a message to teams.
He wrote: âIn accordance with Article B1.5.10 of the FIA F1 Regulations, having received a forecast from the Official Weather Service predicting that the Heat Index will be greater than 31.0°C at some time during the Race at this Competition, a Heat Hazard is declared."
The rules dictate teams must fit driver cooling systems to their cars ahead of the GP. These feed fluid through the drivers' fireproof vests beneath their race suit.
Lewis Hamilton has opened up about the injury he suffered at the Barcelona GP last year. Hamilton was victorious in Catalunya last week, but one year previously he suffered an injury which still disrupts him.
He said: "I hit the wall very hard last year in testing. I've knocked out one of the discs in my neck protruding into the nerve. So, I couldn't do it a lot for like nine weeks.
"And I was just having chiropractic every day, physio every day, I couldn't sleep. I was on painkillers, had to get injections, I did everything I could to try to fix it.
"That's what I was basically trying to live with, basically. It's not easy in the seat position that you're sitting in."
Lando Norris has blasted McLaren for being "three months behind" their rivals throughout the 2026 campaign. A developmental race has been ongoing with the new regulations which came in this season.
Norris finished third at the Barcelona GP, suggesting his team are making progress. However, if they are, he admits it's slow progress at best.
He said: âThatâs a lot of bits, so I donât think weâre going to be quickest any time soon. Hopefully over the next three, four, five months, we can catch up and narrow the gap to be on pace with them [our rivals].
âTo catch up takes a huge effort from the team, which theyâre doing, and everyoneâs very excited and motivated because we know itâs possible.
"Weâre like three months behind and thatâs a hard task to overcome, but everyone at McLaren knows we can achieve that, and weâre excited to try and do it.â
Kimi Antonelli has warned his Mercedes team will not have an easy procession to the F1 title. He made it clear this year is "not a walk in the park" despite the lead he has amasses.
The current F1 leader lost a lot of momentum after he recorded a DNF at last week's Barcelona GP.
Ahead of the GP, he made it clear he does not expect an easy weekend at the Red Bull Ring. He said: âI have full trust in the team.
"They're pushing incredibly hard, and there's a really good dynamic. Of course, Ferrari, I think, since the start of the season, they've been our main competitors. But Red Bull is going to be very quick this weekend. They're bringing a big package.
âMcLaren is getting closer, but Ferrari is definitely strong, is there, and they have a great lineup. Lewis has been in great form so far. So definitely, it's not going to be a walk in the park, and we still need to really do our best, maximise everything, because there will be a race track where others might be quicker.
âLook at Barcelona. I think the pace was very similar, and at the end, Ferrari was incredibly quick. Or Miami, McLaren was up there, very quick. So I think we need to just maximise every opportunity we have, because I think there will be tracks where we may struggle a bit more, and tracks where we'll be incredibly quick."
Helmut Marko has insisted Max Verstappen's priority is driving in a car which can win him F1 World Drivers' titles. The Dutchman has been linked with an audacious move to McLaren.
He still has a deal with Red Bull, but it's understood there are clauses which can get him out of the deal. Speaking to Kronen Zeitung, Marko said: âFor him, competitiveness always comes first.
âAll top drivers have performance-based exit clauses in their contracts. Discussions are likely taking place on that front right now. It would be best if an agreement could be reached quickly.â
The FIA have concluded Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari was compliant with the 2026 F1 regulations. The car's rear-braking system underwent an "extensive physical inspection" after he won the Barcelona GP.
His car was inspected after he recorded his first victory with the Scuderia at the Barcelona GP. After the triumph, Hamilton's car was randomly selected among the top 10 for inspection.
FIAâs Formula 1 Technical Delegate Jo Bauer has since confirmed the car was compliant. Bauer wrote: âAfter the race in Barcelona, car number 44 was randomly chosen among the top ten cars for more extensive physical inspections.
âSubject to these physical inspections was the rear brake system. On the hardware side, checks were carried out in relation to Articles C11.1, C11.2 (rear only), C11.3 (rear only), C11.4, C11.5 and C11.6.
âOn the electronics and software side, checks were carried out in relation to Articles C8.1, C8.2, C11.6 and FIA-F1-DOC-001: Brake control software registration and verification.
âBrake control software inspection for the interfaces to standard and custom software applications.
âIdentification of sensor and their connections to the FIA standard ECU. Data logging of signals. Homologation status of sensors. FIA-F1-DOC-001 submissions. BBW FMEA.
"All inspected components were found to be in conformance with the 2026 Formula One Technical Regulations.â
George Russell has admitted he is concerned Lewis Hamilton is getting back to his best. At the Barcelona GP, Hamilton scooped up his first win at Ferrari.
It came after back-to-back second placed finishes, a run which has propelled him up to second in the standings. Looking on, Russell said: "You need yourself, your team, the setup, the understanding of the tyres, everything just to click.
"And when it clicks, you fly. As he said, 'it's beautiful'. And that's where he is at the moment. And for sure, he is a big threat. Ferrari are a huge threat.
"Kimi is still very much the driver out front and his performance really incredibly and consistently. But Ferrari feel like they're coming and Lewis is at the forefront of that."
It's Friday and you know what that means - it's almost time for the Austrian GP.
Do you think Lewis Hamilton can record another GP victory to jostle his way into the title picture?
Can George Russell remind everyone there are two stars at Mercedes as well as current leader Kimi Antonelli?
Will McLaren recover from their recent slump and can Max Verstappen find his old magic?
We will investigate and provide all of the latest updates and news from the paddocks.
