Teenager Antonelli dominates practice for Austrian GP
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli fought off the heat to top the times for Mercedes in both practice sessions on Friday ahead of the 'heat hazard' Austrian Grand Prix.
With temperatures on track in the Styrian Alps reaching 49 degrees Celcius, many drivers took advantage of the opportunity to wear a body-cooling vest under their fireproof race suit.
That didn't affect the 19-year-old Antonelli who clocked a fastest lap of one minute 7.014 seconds at the Red Bull Ring to outpace McLaren's Oscar Piastri by 0.237sec.
The Italian, who leads seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari by 41 points in the drivers’ title race, topped the first session as well, edging team-mate George Russell, as he bids to return to winning ways after retiring from the Barcelona-Catalunya race two weeks ago.
Defending world champion Lando Norris was third in the other McLaren, three-tenths off the pace, ahead of four-time champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull and Hamilton, fresh from his first Ferrari triumph two weeks ago in Spain.
Verstappen, who picked up his first podium of the season in Barcelona, was unhappy with his car which is coming to Red Bull's home track with a number of upgrades.
The Dutchman complained that his seat felt uncomfortable: "I need to box and take my seat out, this is just crazy," he said.
Russell struggled to match the Italian’s pace and verve, and wound up sixth.
He was followed by Isack Hadjar in the second Red Bull, Charles Leclerc in the second Ferrari and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson.
Gabriel Bortoleto was an encouraging 10th for Audi.
U.Pagliarini--LDdC
